tag:www.gov.uk,2005:/government/announcementsAnnouncements on GOV.UKHM Government2016-12-08T17:58:01+00:00tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3464112016-12-08T17:58:01+00:002016-12-08T17:58:01+00:00Speech: The Gulbenkian Inquiry into the Civic Role of Arts organisationsMinister of State for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock highlights the importance of philanthropic support for the arts.<div class="govspeak"><p>It is a pleasure to join you here today, as you look at the key findings from phase 1 of the inquiry into the civic role of arts organisations.</p>
<p>Sometimes - just sometimes, people refer to DCMS as the Department of Fun. It is well meant, I’m sure, but misses the point of our work to an absurd degree. Apart from the fact that the industries we represent are among the most successful the UK boasts, adding billions to our economy each year, and in terms of positive impact are probably the best ambassadors our country has, what we add to the quality of people’s lives is impossible to overstate.</p>
<p>Let’s never dismiss the worth of fun, but art and culture are about so much more than that. So I am delighted to turn my attention today to the civic role of arts organisations.</p>
<p>Or perhaps it would be better to say the civic roles, because the functions and the benefits of arts and culture are many and they are varied.</p>
<p>I’d like to focus on three key aspects today. Place making, participation and inclusivity. How arts and culture can help a town or city thrive, what engagement with those institutions gives to individuals, and how we make sure everybody benefits.</p>
<h3 id="place-making">Place making</h3>
<p>First, place making.</p>
<p>Arts and culture are essential to towns and cities - contributing significantly to both economic and social regeneration. Because, increasingly, people want to live, work and be at the heart of things. And that means near cinemas, near theatres, near galleries.</p>
<p>Proof of this regenerative power is plentiful in the UK.</p>
<p>Go to Margate, and see how the town is transforming thanks, in no small part, to the arrival of the Turner Contemporary and the arts scene it has encouraged. Not for nothing is Margate now known as Shoreditch on Sea. I say that as someone who happens to like Shoreditch.</p>
<p>Or go to Liverpool - now one of the most exciting, energised places to visit in the UK - thanks to a thriving cultural scene that includes the Tate and the newly refurbished Everyman.</p>
<p>Next year, I’d encourage you all to go to Hull where you’ll see the regenerative power of culture taking place before your eyes, when it stands as the UK City of Culture. I’ve been up there to see how work is progressing - very well, I’m pleased to tell you - and the pride and optimism filling the city is palpable.</p>
<p>But you needn’t rely on my impressions - the numbers speak for themselves.</p>
<p>It is estimated that being UK City of Culture will deliver a £60m boost to Hull in 2017 alone, and the city has seen more than one billion of investments since 2013, when it was first awarded the title.</p>
<p>So we will continue to push the regenerative power of culture. In 2018 Newcastle Gateshead plays host to the Great Exhibition of the North, which will celebrate the best in culture, art and design from England’s North, transforming perceptions of the region locally, nationally and internationally.</p>
<p>And in terms of place making, there is also a role for arts organisations to be the town halls and parks of our communities - the focal points - acting as places for people to debate about important issues facing our society and creating a safe space where their voices can be heard.</p>
<p>So arts institutions can revive a place’s fortunes, supply a new sense of energy and give a community focus.</p>
<h3 id="participation">Participation</h3>
<p>But what about the people who visit those institutions? Let us turn now to the benefits of participation.</p>
<p>We know engaging with arts and culture can be key to strengthening communities. You may remember the relatively recent report by the New School for Social Research in New York that found readers of literary fiction tend to be more empathetic than most. It is through art that we better understand each other.</p>
<p>A review of the Social Impacts of Culture and Sport last year, showed that cultural participation can contribute to social relationships and community cohesion, and make communities feel safer and stronger too. Research has also found positive links between cultural participation and improved social skills and engagement with the wider community.</p>
<p>And this research is being put to practical use. Arts organisations around the country are working to improve the physical, mental and emotional health of vulnerable citizens by engaging them in cultural activities, including those who are at likelihood of offending or reoffending.</p>
<p>Take for instance Dance United - which uses intensive contemporary dance training to help transform the lives of young people who are marginalised. Their award-winning intense Academy programme, which currently runs in London and Yorkshire, is based on the discipline of professional dance training.</p>
<p>A staggering 98% of those who complete the programmes gain a national qualification and 80% go on to a range of further educational opportunities. For many taking part, this is a life-changing opportunity that shows them their potential to achieve where so many others have failed them. That is the power of arts and culture.</p>
<h3 id="access">Access</h3>
<p>And so to my last point, access.</p>
<p>We want to build an economy that works for everyone not just the privileged few.</p>
<p>Your sector is potentially one of the greatest forces for openness and social mobility we have.</p>
<p>Culture knows no boundaries.</p>
<p>I want our arts and cultural institutions to be unrivalled for their inclusivity, and their celebration of diversity. Not only in a great array of artists and artwork, but showing true diversity in the workforce - at all levels, right to the very top - and in the audience.</p>
<p>Digitisation is improving access all the time, enabling children to explore the great cultural collections remotely, but a lack of understanding can also be a barrier to arts engagement, and that’s why it’s so important a high-quality arts education is available to all.</p>
<p>Last month, the Department for Education announced over £350m of funding for music and cultural education programmes between now and 2020. This builds on the £460m already spent on a diverse range of similarly focused education programmes.</p>
<p>Then came the Autumn Statement where the Chancellor announced funding towards a Royal Society for the Arts and Education Endowment Foundation pilot to examine the impact of cultural education on disadvantaged pupils.</p>
<p>This innovative scheme will give us the data to understand scientifically the impact of the arts on life chances.</p>
<p>After discussion with DfE and industry leaders, I was thrilled with last week’s announcement that A-Level Art History has been saved. It is now crucial that our leading museums and galleries work closely with schools that already offer or are thinking of introducing the A Level in their teaching, particularly in state schools where uptake has been traditionally very low.</p>
<p>This is an important step and is part of a much wider effort. Britain’s future will be determined by the combination of our creative flair and technical expertise, so it is vital that the next generation is well prepared.</p>
<h3 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h3>
<p>Today I have outlined just some of the reasons why arts and culture are vital to society. But the simplest reason is one we all know in our hearts to be true: art enriches life.</p>
<p>So I strongly encourage all arts organisations to wholly embrace their civic role which is vital to the social and economic regeneration of places, connecting communities and ensuring those who may traditionally have been excluded are helped to participate in public life.</p>
<p>I look forward to receiving updates from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation on the next phases of the inquiry and to hearing their proposals on how the civic role of arts can be strengthened further.</p>
<p>I’d like to end, if I may, with a quote. It’s from Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, and though it concerns reading I think it applies to all art, all culture.</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I want everyone in our society to know the benefit of that hand reaching out and taking theirs. That, at its purest, is the civic role of arts and culture. Is there any greater?</p>
<p>Our philanthropic support for the arts is of critical importance, and I want to thank each and every supporter – the trusts, the foundations the corporate and the individual support – for playing your part.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3462162016-12-07T15:06:14+00:002016-12-07T15:06:14+00:00Press release: Government makes it easier to crackdown on nuisance calls crooks
From December 30, ownership of the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) will be transferred from Ofcom to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).<div class="govspeak"><h4 id="telephone-preference-service-is-moving-from-ofcom-to-the-ico">Telephone Preference Service is moving from Ofcom to the ICO.</h4>
<h4 id="transferral-of-powers-will-mean-that-ico-can-deal-with-complaints-at-a-quicker-rate">Transferral of powers will mean that ICO can deal with complaints at a quicker rate.</h4>
<p>Complaints against rogue callers will be even easier to make thanks to new Government plans to tackle nuisance callers.</p>
<p>TPS is a free service for mobile and landline phone users, which blocks unsolicited sales and marketing calls.</p>
<p>Minister of State for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock said:</p>
<p>“Nuisance callers are a blight on society, causing significant distress to elderly and vulnerable people. We have been clear that we will not stand for this continued harassment. Last month, we announced plans to make directors personally liable for nuisance calls. Now, we are going to strengthen the enforcement of the rules by giving the Information Commissioner powers to act, all part of our on-going campaign against rogue callers.</p>
<p>“This measure will enable complaints arising from nuisance calls and faxes to be dealt with more quickly.”</p>
<p>At present, Ofcom keeps up-to-date registers of the telephone and fax numbers of people who have notified TPS that they do not wish to receive direct marketing calls.</p>
<p>But by placing responsibility for the service with the ICO, which currently dishes out fines to nuisance call crooks, it will be even easier for the ICO to go after rogue companies in breach of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).</p>
<p>It further has the power to clamp down on organisations that make unsolicited telephone calls to those registered to TPS without their consent.</p>
<p>And, as the ICO will have direct access to the data, it will also have control over how the register is maintained, as well as how complaints are recorded and handled.</p>
<p>This latest step is just one of a number of measures Government is undertaking in a bid to tackle the scourge of nuisance calls. Government recently announced that from Spring 2017, it would be seeking to slap company bosses and firms with fines of up to £1 million, if they are found to be in breach of PECR.</p>
<p>Prior to this, only businesses were liable for fines, many of which try to escape paying nuisance call penalties by declaring bankruptcy - only to open up again under a different name.</p>
<p>Further measures have included forcing companies to display their caller ID and working with Trading Standards to provide call blocking devices to vulnerable members of society.</p>
<p>Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said:</p>
<p>“Transfer of the TPS to us will mean complaints about rogue cold callers will be passed even more efficiently to our enforcement officers. That will give us more information about the culprits and help in our bid to come down hard on the law breakers and stop nuisance calls.”</p>
<p>To date, the ICO has issued fines totalling almost £3.7million to companies behind nuisance marketing. And this year alone, the ICO has fined firms responsible for more than 70 million calls and nearly 8 million spam text messages.</p>
<p>More than 114,000 nuisance calls and texts have been reported to ICO this year.</p>
<p>Notes for editors:</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>The figure relating to 114,000 nuisance calls and texts relates to the period 1 January to 30 September.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Reporting a nuisance call is simple - visit the ICO website - www.ico.org.uk or call their helpline - 0303 123 1113 - and they will take it from there.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<h4 id="media-enquiries">Media enquiries</h4>
<p>DCMS News and Communications team on 020 7211 2210.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3460892016-12-06T17:27:13+00:002016-12-06T17:27:13+00:00News story: Secretary of State appoints four Trustees to the Board of The Royal ParksThe Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP has appointed Ruth Anderson, Heather Blackman, Wesley Kerr and Charles Martin to the Board of The Royal Parks for terms of four years, ending on 13 November 2020.<div class="govspeak"><p>Ruth Anderson</p>
<p>Ruth is a chartered accountant and a non-executive director of three UK quoted companies, Ocado Group plc, Travis Perkins plc and Coats Group plc. She is also a Trustee of the youth charity, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Prior to her non-executive career, Ruth was a Partner of the accounting firm KPMG where she worked for 33 years, from joining as a student accountant in 1976 to retiring in 2009 when she was a Partner and Vice-Chairman of the UK firm. Ruth was a Board Member for the The Royal Parks Agency from 2008 to 2016.</p>
<p>Heather Blackman</p>
<p>Heather is currently Chief Executive Officer at the lifestyle clothing brand Finisterre. She has worked in retail for 30 years and worked at a variety of high street names and premium brands, including Laura Ashley, Fat Face and more recently Managing Director at Hotel Chocolat. Starting in buying and merchandising, then multi-channel retailing, Heather has a vast experience of strategy and commercial planning centred around the customer. She is currently also a Non-Executive Director for Line Life Ltd, Jimmy Hooves and R Chocolate of London.</p>
<p>Wesley Kerr OBE</p>
<p>Wesley is a broadcaster, journalist, historian, horticulturist and curator. He has worked on numerous BBC television and radio programmes, including Nationwide, Newsnight, Panorama, Holiday, Watchdog Healthcheck, Value for Money and the various daily news outlets. Wesley has worked in 40 countries and has written for many national newspapers and journals. He is a previous member of the RHS Show Gardens Panel and former Chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for London. Wesley was a Board Member for The Royal Parks Agency from 2013 to 2016. He is currently Vice-President of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association.</p>
<p>Charles D Z Martin</p>
<p>Charles is the Senior Partner of Macfarlanes LLP. He is a solicitor with 30 years’ of experience at boardroom level in private and public mergers and acquisitions, private equity and corporate advisory. He is a Trustee of The Visitor’s Art Foundation. He was formerly a Trustee of The Royal Parks Foundation and sat on the Committee that was responsible for the RPF Half Marathon. He lives in London and is an active user of The Royal Parks.</p>
<p>Trustees for The Royal Parks are not remunerated. These appointments have been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Ruth Anderson, Heather Blackman, Wesley Kerr and Charles Martin have declared that they have not carried out any political activity.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3460572016-12-06T11:45:00+00:002016-12-06T11:45:00+00:00News story: UK-China ties flourish at 2016 High Level People to People DialogueUK-China collaboration has moved from strength to strength, with a wave of groundbreaking agreements at the 2016 UK-China High Level People-to-People Dialogue. <p><em>Updated:</em> Added translation</p><div class="govspeak"><p>Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt MP and Chinese Vice Premier, Liu Yandong co-chaired the Dialogue at the Shanghai Tower.</p>
<p>The Dialogue is a key pillar in the UK-China relationship, celebrating links between the two peoples. Policy strands for this year’s dialogue were education, science, health, tourism, sport, culture and creative industries, youth and regional cooperation, bringing together key themes of creativity, social equity and women’s equality.</p>
<p>Headline announcements at today’s Dialogue include the signing of the new UK-China TV Co-Production Treaty, making the UK only the second country in the world to have both film and television treaties with China; a Memorandum of Understanding on UK-China Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Innovation Collaboration; the signing of a new Host-to-Host agreement for cooperation on the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics 2022; and the British Library and National Library of China collaborating to display some of Britain’s most iconic literary treasures in China, including Shakespeare’s First Folio.</p>
<p>Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt MP said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The UK-China High Level People to People Dialogue is about strengthening the collaboration between our two countries, building partnerships that benefit people in both our nations.</p>
<p>Both the UK and China have energetic economies, with innovation and creativity at the core. We are both global powers with a global outlook. In a golden era for our two nations, we are working together on global issues, building economies for the future, and developing our strong trade, investment and people-to-people links. The People-to-People Dialogue is an opportunity to deepen our engagement across policies central to the growth and prosperity of both our nations.</p>
<p class="last-child">We have a shared commitment to ensuring the bilateral relationship delivers for all our people – linking UK towns and cities with their Chinese counterparts is a key part of this and I’m delighted that the Northern Ireland First Minister is here in Shanghai with us today. We’ve also agreed to step up UK-China collaboration on women’s equality and empowerment making this a fundamental element of our Global Partnership.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In addition to Jeremy Hunt MP, the UK official delegation included Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, Justine Greening; Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Karen Bradley; Northern Ireland First Minister, Arlene Foster; and the Department for Business, Energy &amp; Industrial Strategy’s Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor John Loughhead.</p>
<p>Secretary of State for Education, Justine Greening, said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">The UK and China share many priorities in the field of education, and we both recognise and highly value the benefits of international collaboration. Today’s agreements demonstrate our ongoing commitment to working together to build on the strong foundation we have laid over the past decades. As our bilateral relationship develops, the outcomes of today’s agreements, by providing us with opportunities to share ideas and expertise, will allow us to prosper together.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Details of the announcements and agreements made at the 2016 UK-China High Level People to People Dialogue can be found in the annex.</p>
<h2 id="annex">ANNEX</h2>
<p>The following agreements were signed at the 2016 UK-China High Level People to People Dialogue.</p>
<h2 id="culture-and-creative-industries">Culture and Creative Industries</h2>
<h3 id="uk-china-television-coproduction-treaty">UK-China Television Coproduction Treaty</h3>
<p>The UK-China Television Coproduction Treaty is a landmark agreement which will help to develop collaboration between both countries’ industries. The UK is now only the second country in the world to have both film and television treaties with China. The Treaty will help to create programmes that combine cultural characteristics of both countries and it will deliver a boon of around £55m per year for the UK television industry by helping them to access the burgeoning Chinese market.</p>
<h3 id="memorandum-of-understanding-between-national-art-museum-of-china-and-the-tate-museum-to-present-a-british-landscapes-exhibition">Memorandum of Understanding between National Art Museum of China and the Tate Museum to present a British Landscapes Exhibition</h3>
<p>Tate is working with the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC), in Beijing, to present ‘Landscapes of the Mind: British Landscape Painting 1700 – 1990’, opening in September 2018. The exhibition traces the remarkable development of Britain’s greatest contribution to European art – landscape painting – and is drawn from Tate’s unrivalled collection of British art. Among the celebrated artists represented in the exhibition are Thomas Gainsborough, JMW Turner, John Constable, John Everett Millais, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Stanley Spencer, John Piper, LS Lowry, Frank Auerbach, and Richard Long.</p>
<h3 id="memorandum-of-understanding-between-the-british-museum-and-the-china-national-museum-to-present-a-history-of-the-world-in-100-objects-the-exhibition">Memorandum of Understanding between the British Museum and the China National Museum to present A History of the World in 100 Objects the Exhibition</h3>
<p>The British Museum is honoured to present A History of the World in 100 Objects: the Exhibition in Beijing. Inspired by the highly-acclaimed 2010 radio series and book, which was produced in partnership with the BBC and Penguin Books, this unique exhibition sets out to tell one version of an extraordinary story - the history of the world. It is not told through writing, but through objects: the creations and inventions that people have made, and that have helped us to overcome the challenges that humankind has faced throughout the last 2 million years. The exhibition A History of the World in 100 Objects will be displayed in Beijing in 2017.</p>
<h3 id="agreement-between-the-british-library-and-national-library-of-china-on-a-british-literary-icons-exhibition">Agreement between the British Library and National Library of China on a British Literary Icons exhibition</h3>
<p>An exhibition agreement between the British Library and National Library of China. The British Library will display some of its most iconic literary treasures in China. The exhibition is expected to include handwritten manuscripts and early editions by some of the greatest British authors of all time, from Shakespeare and Dickens to the Brontë sisters and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The £1.6 million project was funded by the UK Government as part of an ambitious cultural exchange programme with China. The exhibition will be presented at the National Library of China from 21 April 2017 to the 20 June 2017.</p>
<h4 id="memorandum-of-understanding-between-the-palace-museum-and-durham-university">Memorandum of Understanding between the Palace Museum and Durham University</h4>
<p>MoU between the Palace Museum and Durham University on furthering research links on the archaeology of the Middle East, Europe and Indian Ocean. This will include academic exchanges; joint research and publications; cooperation in museum exhibition management; and discussions into joint exhibitions.</p>
<h2 id="science-and-innovation">Science and Innovation</h2>
<h3 id="memorandum-of-understanding-on-uk-china-research-and-innovation-between-uk-department-for-business-energy--industrial-strategy-and-chinas-ministry-of-science-and-technology">Memorandum of Understanding on UK-China Research and Innovation between UK Department for Business, Energy &amp; Industrial Strategy and China’s Ministry of Science and Technology</h3>
<p>An agreement to jointly develop a strategy for future UK-China science and innovation collaboration, which will identify key areas, new models and funding mechanisms for collaboration, and will have a greater focus on innovation, applied research and joint centres. The first roundtable meeting to discuss the strategy was held alongside the People to People Dialogue on the morning of 6th December with leading research and business representatives from both countries.</p>
<h2 id="healthcare">Healthcare</h2>
<h3 id="memorandum-of-understanding-between-the-department-of-health-of-the-uk-and-the-national-health-and-family-planning-commission-of-the-peoples-republic-of-china">Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Health of the UK and the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of China</h3>
<p>The renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Health of the UK and the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of China on Health Cooperation signals the commitment of the two parties to continue their close collaboration on health. Both countries are facing the challenges of providing high quality healthcare to their people in the context of ageing populations, emerging infectious disease and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. This relationship benefits both nations through sharing expertise and supporting joint projects. It commits both sides to holding an annual Ministerial dialogue on health, alternating between the two countries.</p>
<h3 id="memorandum-of-understanding-on-the-uk-china-antimicrobial-resistance-research-and-innovation-collaboration-between-the-department-of-health-of-the-uk-and-the-ministry-of-science-and-technology-of-china">Memorandum of Understanding on the UK-China Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Innovation Collaboration between the Department of Health of the UK and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China</h3>
<p>The objective of this MoU is to support joint collaboration in the translation of research into new solutions to address antimicrobial resistance. This could fund activities of joint research and innovation projects led by research organisations, higher education institutions, companies and enterprises within the two countries. The Chinese Government will provide matching funding to the UK Government’s commitment to respectively support researchers of the two countries to carry out these projects. Collaboration under this MoU will build on existing UK-China science, research and innovation agreements.</p>
<h2 id="education">Education</h2>
<h3 id="uk-china-partners-in-education-framework">UK-China Partners in Education Framework</h3>
<p>An Action Plan under the UK-China Partners in Education Framework outlining six key priority areas of UK-China education co-operation beyond 2016. The six strands of collaboration are in basic education; language teaching and assessment; technical and professional education and training; sports education and training; higher education (including quality assurance) and exchanges.</p>
<h3 id="department-for-education-and-shanghai-municipal-education-commission-agreement-on-maths-teacher-exchange">Department for Education and Shanghai Municipal Education Commission agreement on Maths Teacher Exchange</h3>
<p>Agreement for the extension of the Shanghai Math Teachers Exchange programme which will see up to 70 teachers from each country travel to Shanghai and UK each year for the next two academic years (from Nov 2016)</p>
<h2 id="sport">Sport</h2>
<h3 id="uk-china-football-coach-training-framework">UK-China Football Coach Training Framework</h3>
<p>The British Council, Premier League, The FA and the Federation of University Sports China signed a collaboration agreement to develop a UK-China Football Coach Training Framework which aims to deliver a development pathway for football coaches in China.</p>
<h3 id="olympics-memorandum-of-understanding">Olympics Memorandum of Understanding</h3>
<p>Signing of a new Host-to-Host Memorandum of Understanding to take forward a programme of cooperation in relation to the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics 2022</p>
<h2 id="youth">Youth</h2>
<h3 id="great-britain-china-centre-and-the-all-china-youth-federation">Great Britain China Centre and the All China Youth Federation</h3>
<p>A Memorandum of Understanding between the Great Britain China Centre and the All China Youth Federation on promoting collaboration and exchange between the UK and China’s young innovators and entrepreneurs.</p>
<h3 id="further-information">Further information</h3>
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</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3460562016-12-06T10:58:00+00:002016-12-06T10:58:00+00:00News story: Advisory Group launched to look at how individuals can make a social impact with their investmentsThe Advisory Group will look at ways to make socially themed investments more easily available to individuals and mobilise industry to help achieve this by Summer 2017<div class="govspeak"><p>Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson, today announced the creation of an Advisory Group that will look at how individuals can be offered savings and investment choices which target positive social outcomes as well as financial returns.</p>
<p>The Advisory Group will include senior industry representatives from across the investment industry and will be chaired by Elizabeth Corley (Vice Chair of Allianz Global Investors).</p>
<p>It will provide initial findings on how to increase individual participation in socially themed investments and how to mobilise the industry to achieve these aims by Summer 2017. It will report back to the government with recommendations and advice on what the Government should be doing in to raise the level of social impact intentionally delivered through the investment chain.</p>
<p>Rob Wilson said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">I’m convinced that people want their investments to do good as well as making a financial return. I don’t believe they currently have enough options to make that happen. I hope the advisory group will be able to chart a course to fix that.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The main question the Advisory Group will consider over the course of its work is:</p>
<h3 id="how-can-the-savings-pensions-and-investment-industries-with-the-support-of-government-engage-with-individual-investors-to-enable-them-to-support-more-easily-the-things-they-care-about-through-their-savings-and-investment-choices">How can the savings, pensions and investment industries, with the support of government, engage with individual investors to enable them to support more easily the things they care about through their savings and investment choices?</h3>
<p>As part of this, it will consider the current barriers to development of products with social impact components, and the demand for and distribution of such products.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3459752016-12-05T12:49:00+00:002016-12-05T12:49:00+00:00Press release: Building a country that works for everyone: Independent Panel publishes report on putting values at the heart of our businessesBusinesses are today being asked to consider how they can make a positive social impact in the work they do.
<div class="govspeak"><p>The calls come from an independent panel report into how mission-led businesses can be grown in the economy commissioned by Rob Wilson, Minister for Civil Society.</p>
<p>The review chaired by Nigel Wilson, Chief Executive of Legal &amp; General, has made a series of recommendations for boosting mission-led businesses in the UK.</p>
<p>Mission-led businesses are profit-driven businesses that commit to have a positive social impact on society and the environment.</p>
<p>They use the power of business to make a difference and help solve important problems like helping to improve children’s education, cut down on household bills by reducing food waste and support people struggling with mental health problems. Examples include Cook Trading Limited, Timpsons, and Patients Know Best.</p>
<p>Already, mission-led businesses are estimated to represent over 4% of the economy, with a combined turnover of £165 billion.</p>
<p>Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson MP said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">We need to encourage businesses to consider how through their work, they may be able to make a positive impact on the social challenges we face, helping to build a country that works for everyone.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">I want to thank the panel for its work and I look forward to carefully considering its proposals.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility, Margot James MP said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">Responsible business practice is vital to the wellbeing of our society. The Government is committed to building an economy that works for all and we will consider carefully the panel’s recommendations as part of our wider work on corporate responsibility.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Nigel Wilson, Chief Executive of Legal &amp; General and chair of the advisory panel said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">The UK’s collective economic success will be increasingly led by organisations of all types with a clearer mission and purpose. I’ve particularly been inspired by several leading corporates such as Johnson &amp; Johnson, Centrica and Danone who have deployed their own balance sheets into mission aligned businesses. We are calling for an additional £1bn from corporate balance sheets and social pension funds to drive more mission led finance into the UK economy.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">I would like to thank the panel members for their excellent work, and the people we met at regional events across the country in Cambridge, London, Cardiff, Oxford, Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham prepared to devote time, energy and resources to offer us their views.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">The panel and I will work to progress the recommendations on behalf of mission led-business, and we look forward to the Government’s policy response to our recommendations over the next few months as part of its inclusive economy work.</p>
</blockquote>
<h3 id="recommendations-to-business-include">Recommendations to business include:</h3>
<ul>
<li>UK corporates investing £1bn in corporate social impact investment funds, targeting businesses that achieve financial growth and a measurable social impact.</li>
<li>Mainstream businesses establishing talent partnerships to help mission-led start-ups become mission-led scale-ups.</li>
<li>Business schools building evidence and curriculum around the case for business with purpose, to embed this approach within tomorrow’s business leaders.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="recommendations-to-government-include">Recommendations to government include:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Bringing the business and social sectors together on a national scale to address longstanding social challenges for UK families.</li>
<li>Encouraging businesses to set out their social purposes alongside their obligations to shareholders.</li>
<li>Considering a “benefit company” status to make it easier for entrepreneurs to commit to social purposes over the long-term.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Department for Culture, Media &amp; Sport is leading cross-government work to strengthen the UK’s social investment market.</p>
<p>Recent initiatives include asking Elizabeth Corley, Vice-Chair of Allianz Global Investors, to lead a project on <a rel="external" href="https://gov.uk/government/news/advisory-group-launched-to-look-at-how-individuals-can-make-a-social-impact-with-their-investments">creating more opportunities</a> for savers to invest in line with their values.</p>
<h3 id="notes-to-editors">Notes to editors</h3>
<ul>
<li>Read the full <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/574694/Advisory_Panel_Report_-_Mission-led_Business.pdf">Report</a>
</li>
<li>Read Rob Wilson, Minister for Civil Society’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/574696/294861_MCS_letter_to_Advisory_Panel.pdf">letter</a> of response.</li>
<li>Read the supporting <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/574693/MLB_data_report_-_In_Pursuit_of_Impact.pdf">data report</a> on the size of the market and <a rel="external" href="http://www.bigsocietycapital.com/latest/type/blog/pursuit-impact">blog</a> about this work.</li>
<li>Read the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/mission-led-business-review-call-for-evidence">responses</a> to the Call for Evidence</li>
<li>Read the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/understanding-mission-led-businesses-terms-of-reference">Terms of Reference</a>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="media-enquiries">Media enquiries</h3>
<p>● DCMS News and Communications team on 020 7211 2210.</p>
<p>● Richard King, Head of Corporate Communications, L&amp;G on 020 3124 2095.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3459682016-12-05T11:31:00+00:002016-12-05T11:31:00+00:00News story: UK-China High-Level People to People DialogueCreative industries, tourism and sport are high on the agenda for this year’s UK-China High-Level People to People Dialogue. <p><em>Updated:</em> Added translation</p><div class="govspeak"><p>With culture and creative industries at the heart of the UK-China relationship, today’s UK-China Creative Innovators Forum aimed to nurture collaboration and joint development particularly in the fields of virtual and augmented reality.</p>
<p>Over 30 British companies from creative industries joined the UK delegation to China to participate in the one-day forum, including companies such as BBC Worldwide, ITV Studios, Framestore, and Pinewood Studios.</p>
<p>The forum saw a number of new commercial agreements signed including an agreement between Abertay University - Europe’s leading university for computer games education and Perfect World - one of the world’s largest games companies - on a qualification for Chinese games developers; an agreement between Lion TV and Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation on co-production of a new show; and an agreement between Unanico and Hunan Mango plus China Lion on strategic partnerships for new film projects.</p>
<p>Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Karen Bradley said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">From sport to tourism to the creative industries, there have never been more opportunities for UK-Chinese cooperation. These thriving sectors will play an important role as our two countries work together to boost trade, exports and investment during this golden era of collaboration.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">The People to People dialogue is a fantastic chance to promote some of the best British companies and talent, as we further develop our relationship with China.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The UK-China Creative Innovators Forum comes on the eve of the fourth UK-China High Level People to People Dialogue, co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt and China’s Vice Premier, Liu Yandong.</p>
<p>In other announcements, VisitBritain and Alitrip announced a new partnership to attract more Chinese visitors to Britain, through an online marketplace to showcase great destinations and experiences. The launch also celebrated Hainan Airlines’ partnership with VisitBritain and the airline’s ambitions to expand its UK route network following the new Sino-UK Air Service Agreement.</p>
<p>The day also shone the spotlight on football, with Visit Britain launching a competition to find China’s biggest Premier League fan. UK company STRI launched a new joint venture with China’s Kehua Sports and iRena to develop world-class football pitches.</p>
<p>The events took place as part of the UK-China High Level People to People Dialogue. The Dialogue is a key pillar in the UK-China relationship: it provides a forum to celebrate ties between the two peoples, and a platform from which to drive greater co-operation. The plenary session of the Dialogue will take place on 6 December in Shanghai. Policy strands for this year’s dialogue are education, science, health, tourism, sport, culture and creative industries, youth and regional cooperation, bringing together key themes of creativity, social equity and women’s equality.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3459662016-12-05T11:10:17+00:002016-12-05T11:10:17+00:00Press release: Five UK-China commercial collaboration agreements announced at the Creative Innovators Forum in ShanghaiAgreements strengthen ties between UK and Chinese creative industries<div class="govspeak"><p>Co-organised by the UK Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Chinese State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), the UK-China Creative Innovators Forum was held today in Shanghai at the China Financial Information Centre. Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport the Rt. Hon. Karen Bradley and Vice Minister of SAPPRFT Tong Gang attended the forum and witnessed the signing ceremonies for five major commercial agreements reached between UK and Chinese industry players.</p>
<p>Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">The UK and China have entered a golden era of collaboration and it’s fantastic to see a flourishing relationship between two countries that have both made the creative industries one of their priorities. In fact, the creative industries are a key part of the UK Government’s industrial strategy and form part of China’s thirteenth 5 Year Plan.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The five commercial announcements covered a wide range of areas in the creative sector:</p>
<p>Abertay University, Europe’s leading university for computer games education, signed a partnership agreement with Perfect World, one of the world’s largest games companies, to increase learning opportunities in computer games for Chinese graduates by offering an exclusive route to fully prepare them to enter the University’s renowned Professional Masters in Games Development.</p>
<p>Lion Television and China-based Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation announced an agreement to co-produce Tales from Modern China, a programme that aims to explore the civilisation of ancient and modern China from a global perspective.</p>
<p>Unanico Group, an international award-winning independent production company and animation studio based in London and Shanghai, agreed with China Lion Entertainment Production Co. on a £40 million co-operation in the production and distribution of animated feature films. The start of production for the first feature film will likely be announced at the beginning of 2017.</p>
<p>Unanico Group also announced a strategic partnership with Hunan Mango Entertainment Co. Ltd a wholly owned subsidiary of Hunan Broadcasting System, the second largest TV network in China, for a slate of live action films.</p>
<p>Cloth Cat Animation, based in Cardiff and Chinese company Magic Mall announced collaboration on a new animation series based on Magic Mall’s successful character Luo Bao Bei. The 52 episode series will be produced in the UK for Chinese broadcast in June 2017 and then distributed around the world on terrestrial broadcast and digital platforms. It is anticipated that this project will bring up to £3.2 million into the Welsh economy.</p>
<p>Over 150 senior executives and industry players from both the UK and China attended the one-day forum. These include well-known companies such as BBC Worldwide, ITV Studios, Framestore UK (visual after effects company for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Pinewood Studios, and,from China, iQiyi, Shanghai Media Group and Jiangsu TV. Companies developing and applying virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), such as Alchemy VR, The Foundry, Whaley, Motion Magic, LeVR and 7tin Network also attended panel discussions and one-on-one business meetings. British actor Dominic Cooper, star of ‘Warcraft’, also shared his experience with UK-China collaboration during his onstage interview.</p>
<h3 id="notes-to-editors">Notes to editors</h3>
<p>For media enquiries, please contact:
Christina Kong, Department for International Trade
British Embassy Beijing
Phone: 010-51924021
Email:Christina.Kong@fco.gov.uk</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3457772016-12-01T18:14:00+00:002016-12-01T18:14:00+00:00News story: 1,600 responses to Museums Review call for evidenceMore than 1,600 people responded to the call for evidence in the Museums Review - the first government review of the sector in over a decade.<div class="govspeak"><p>The online survey was open for 7 weeks and received responses from museums, sector bodies and members of the public. Over 30 submissions were also sent in from a range of industry experts, museums, charities, funding bodies and other organisations.</p>
<p>The review, which was launched in September 2016, will give a deeper understanding of the sector and how it can best be supported by government.</p>
<p>Lead reviewer Neil Mendoza, a non-executive director of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">I am delighted so many people have contributed to this call for evidence.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">Their extensive knowledge and experience have been invaluable to us and will enable us to make insightful and practical recommendations for the benefit of the whole sector.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Museums Review team has also travelled across the country to meet the people responsible for over 150 museums, as well as sector bodies and funders. The team has also received new research and data from Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund, in addition to a state of the nation report from sector expert Simon Thurley.</p>
<p>The Museums Review team is now analysing the evidence that has been collected, which will inform the lines of inquiry for the next stage of the review.</p>
<p>Please visit Neil Mendoza’s <a rel="external" href="http://dcmsblog.uk/2016/12/museums-review-update-progress/">blog</a> on the Museums Review call for evidence, for more information on the process and next steps.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3457652016-12-01T17:27:34+00:002016-12-01T17:27:34+00:00Speech: Lord Ashton Heritage Alliance SpeechLord Ashton addresses the Heritage Alliance conference <div class="govspeak"><p>It is a pleasure to be here. The Heritage Alliance does a terrific job of representing independent organisations throughout England - and deserves its fine reputation.</p>
<p>Indeed, no sooner had I joined DCMS than Lizzie Glitheroe-West promptly announced that she was leaving my Private Office to become your chief executive!</p>
<p>At least I know where I stand in the grand scheme of things.</p>
<p>I am also delighted to join you in celebrating the vital contribution of volunteers, some of whom are being recognised this afternoon in Ecclesiastical’s Heritage Heroes Awards.</p>
<p>If I could leave you all with only one message today, it would be this:</p>
<p>The whole of government recognises the central importance of heritage. Far from being a satellite within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, there is universal acknowledgement in Whitehall that heritage matters.</p>
<p>It has an economic value that even the most cold-eyed Treasury official could not deny. This country has an astonishing variety of buildings and places. They stimulate domestic tourism and attract millions of people to our shores.</p>
<p>The recent <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/autumn-statement-2016">Autumn Statement</a> saw £7.6 million in funding for Wentworth Woodhouse in Rotherham, one of the largest privately owned stately homes in Europe, if not the largest.</p>
<p>And on Tuesday, my colleague Tracey Crouch – Minister for Heritage - visited Southwark Cathedral, which has been awarded money in the final round of the £40 million First World War <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cathedrals-secure-5-million-for-repairs-as-part-of-first-world-war-centenary-fund">Cathedrals Repairs Fund</a>.</p>
<p>The fact that the Culture Secretary sits on the Economy and Industrial Strategy Cabinet Committee is further evidence that appreciation for heritage stretches all the way to Number 10 Downing Street.</p>
<p>So I am confident that you will be pushing at an open door when making the case for heritage.</p>
<p>As we prepare for the UK’s exit from the European Union, heritage can help us forge a new relationship with the rest of the world.</p>
<p>We already have much to offer in terms of heritage skills - and by taking an interest in the protection of heritage overseas, we are giving people the opportunity to learn new things that they can apply back here at home.</p>
<p>Our unique and storied heritage is one of the reasons that this country is special – and so it is an invaluable source of soft power.</p>
<p>The world knows and loves us for our great palaces; our tiny, ancient churches; our eclectic styles of architecture; and for the fact that in every part of the United Kingdom, one can discover gems from down the centuries that tell our island tale.</p>
<p>This shared heritage is the inheritance of all UK subjects. It binds us together and reminds us that we are part of an on-going story.</p>
<p>That sort of social cohesion is priceless.</p>
<p>DCMS’s motto is “Driving growth; enriching lives; and promoting Britain to the world”. Heritage helps advance all three of those priorities.</p>
<p>Yet, as Karen Bradley made clear in her first major speech as Culture Secretary, the things for which DCMS has responsibility matter in their own right.</p>
<p>A beautiful old building – or a unique and striking modern one – has an inherent value. It should be preserved not simply for what it can do to entice tourists, or broaden a child’s education, or teach a conservation expert how to protect an oak door.</p>
<p>To paraphrase George Mallory, it should be preserved because it’s there - and because once it’s gone it will be mourned.</p>
<p>Heritage in all its forms – archaeology, built environment, landscapes, rural settings, and all the rest – matters in and of itself.</p>
<p>Of course, all of the Heritage Alliance’s organisations do commendable work, but as a member of the House of Lords, I must pay tribute to one in particular.</p>
<p>I was delighted to read that, thanks to the efforts of the National Piers Society, “several piers, that would otherwise have vanished, remain for the enjoyment of everyone”.</p>
<p>As a peer myself, I must say that really is a worthy cause.</p>
<p>Indeed, I have responsibility in the House of Lords for the passage of the Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Bill. It will protect cultural property at home and abroad; introduces the Blue Shield – an emblem which is the cultural equivalent of the Red Cross; and makes it a prosecutable offence to deal in unlawfully exported cultural property from an occupied territory.</p>
<p>More than six decades after signing it, we will become the first Permanent Member of the UN Security Council to ratify the 1954 Hague Convention and its two Protocols.</p>
<p>Perhaps I might outline some of the other specific steps that my department and its arm’s length bodies are taking to champion heritage.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/culture-white-paper">Culture White Paper</a>, published in March, stated our determination that the benefits and joys of heritage should be available to all – and this is very much in sympathy with Theresa May’s vision of a government that works for everyone.</p>
<p>The Office for Civil Society – which is now part of DCMS – is fully signed up to this agenda as well, and will bring innovative ideas for meeting the challenge of increasing and diversifying participation.</p>
<p>There has been further investment in programmes for young participants, such as the Heritage Lottery Fund spending £14 million on the <a rel="external" href="https://www.hlf.org.uk/looking-funding/our-grant-programmes/kick-dust">Kick the Dust</a> and <a rel="external" href="https://www.hlf.org.uk/looking-funding/our-grant-programmes/young-roots">Young Roots</a> programmes next year.</p>
<p>Such opportunities for young people to learn about heritage and lead social action projects in their communities outside of formal education are tremendous.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the <a rel="external" href="https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/education/heritage-schools/">Heritage Schools</a> programme – funded by the Department for Education and run by Historic England with help from the Churches Conservation Trust - has helped children engage with their local history. More than 120,000 have participated in the programme.</p>
<p>With heritage – as is so often the case - collaboration is king.</p>
<p>The Heritage Alliance has long advocated and supported such an approach. <a rel="external" href="http://www.theheritagealliance.org.uk/historic-environment-forum/heritage2020">Heritage 2020</a> is one element of this - as is the <a rel="external" href="https://www.greatplacescheme.org.uk/">Great Place Scheme</a>, which will fund projects that embed the arts, culture, and heritage in local plans and decision-making.</p>
<p>Historic England’s <a rel="external" href="https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/heritage-action-zones/">Heritage Action Zones</a> will likewise enhance place-making by focusing resources where they can help to breathe new life into places and achieve sustainable growth.</p>
<p>Networks of heritage, culture, civic, and community organisations, and local businesses and people can make all the difference – at both a local and a national level. In fact they can even make a difference at a global level.</p>
<p>Finally, we are looking at new funding methods.</p>
<p>In partnership with NESTA, Arts Council England, and the Heritage Lottery Fund, we have launched a pilot to explore the opportunities for matched crowd-funding for heritage.</p>
<p>I hope that this will complement what is already being done by the Architectural Heritage Fund and through programmes such as the Heritage Alliance’s <a rel="external" href="http://www.theheritagealliance.org.uk/gth/">Giving to Heritage</a> training programme.</p>
<p>The pilot will run until February - and so far more than 200 organisations expressed an interest.</p>
<p>Let me finish by reaffirming that the heritage sector has a friend in me and friends right throughout Whitehall.</p>
<p>This afternoon is also a chance for me to thank you. Protecting and championing our historic environment and heritage is a noble calling - and you all play a vital role. So thank you very much indeed.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3457242016-12-01T14:36:00+00:002016-12-01T14:36:00+00:00News story: Tampon Tax Fund opens for new bidsMinister for Civil Society visits a domestic violence organisation which has already benefitted from the Fund
<div class="govspeak"><p>Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson, visited a domestic violence organisation in Hammersmith today to mark the opening of the 2017 / 18 round of the Tampon Tax Fund.</p>
<p><a rel="external" href="https://twitter.com/STagainstDV?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">‘Standing Together Against Domestic Violence’</a> is just one of the many organisations to benefit from the Tampon Tax Fund; having been awarded £311k in the last year. The money is being used to fund three aspects of the charity’s work, from embedding practice related to domestic abuse with mental health trusts and acute trusts in West London, to improving national work in acute trusts by the forming a national health alliance of best practice.</p>
<p>Rob Wilson said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">It’s great news that the Tampon Fax Fund is continuing for another year. I would like to encourage organisations who work to improve the lives of disadvantaged women and girls, including those who have been affected by violence, to come forward and submit bids.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">We want this fund to support our vision of a society that works for everyone, working through the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector to tackle the particular issues faced by women and girls.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As well as charities like Standing Together Against Domestic Violence, DCMS is welcoming proposals from organisations that work to improve the lives of disadvantaged women and girls more generally.</p>
<p>For a copy of the Tampon Tax Fund criteria and guidance, and application form, please email: ttf@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.</p>
<p>Applications are now open and will close on Friday 27th January 2017.</p>
<h3 id="ends">ENDS</h3>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3456732016-12-01T11:30:02+00:002016-12-01T11:30:02+00:00News story: Prime Minister appoints Elizabeth Cleaver to the Board of IWMTheresa May has appointed Elizabeth Cleaver to be the Learning & Engagement Trustee at the Imperial War Museum, for a term of four years from the 28th of November 2016. <div class="govspeak"><p>Liz Cleaver is a highly experienced media professional with a long and distinguished career at the BBC. Whilst there she fulfilled a variety of roles; from radio and television production, to launching BBC Knowledge (the forerunner of BBC 4), to setting up the interactive capability for all factual and learning programmes. Between 2004 and 2010 she was the Controller of BBC Learning, where she was responsible for the BBC’s learning output and activity. Before moving to the BBC, Liz had originally worked as a History teacher. Since 2011, she has been a trustee at both the The Royal Free Charity, where she led the work on patient focused delivery, and at Historic Royal Palaces, where she was appointed the lead on learning. In 2014 she was one of the team who opened Wac Arts College, the country’s’ first performing arts Free School targeting excluded young people, having been Chair of Wac Arts since 2012. In addition to these roles, at present Liz is currently a Digital Consultant and Chair of The Reading Agency.</p>
<p>Imperial War Museum Trustees are not remunerated. This reappointment has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Elizabeth Cleaver has declared no political activity.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3456702016-12-01T10:56:05+00:002016-12-01T10:56:05+00:00Press release: New strategy to help public library service prosper in the 21st century'Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016-2021' will help create a sustainable sector<div class="govspeak">
<ul>
<li>£4m library fund to help disadvantaged communities and promote new projects including literacy, reading and digital access schemes</li>
<li>Strategy encourages new models of delivery for libraries</li>
<li>Ambition underlines Government commitment to the library sector</li>
<li>Councils urged to consider using libraries when delivering other public services</li>
</ul>
<p>Local authorities are being urged to consider how they can best use libraries when delivering vital public services as part of a new vision to reinvigorate the sector, Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson announced today.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/libraries-deliver-ambition-for-public-libraries-in-england-2016-to-2021">Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016-2021</a> calls on local authorities to make use of the buildings, staff and services, and think innovatively to help increase reading, literacy and digital access in communities.</p>
<p>The report says library buildings should be used to provide access to a range of public services such as employment, health and learning opportunities to make sure libraries have a sustainable future.</p>
<p>The strategy, produced by the Libraries Taskforce, gives local authorities practical and innovative options to improve and develop services across the country, to help it thrive in the 21st century.</p>
<p>This includes a new £4 million ‘Opportunities for Everyone Innovation Fund’ that will deliver new initiatives for disadvantaged communities across the country.</p>
<p>The fund, to be managed by Arts Council England, will finance new projects such as literacy schemes, improving access to technology or increasing the number of children visiting libraries. The Government is encouraging libraries to work with partners on joint bids and show match-funding as part of the application.</p>
<p>Rob Wilson, Minister for Civil Society and responsible for libraries, said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">If we are going to build a country that works for everyone then we need to recognise that libraries are among our most valuable community assets and they remain hugely popular.
More people went to a library in England last year than visited the cinema, Premier League football games and the top 10 UK tourist attractions combined.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">But standing still is not an option if libraries are to thrive and work best for communities in the 21st century. Libraries can flourish and prosper but this will take change and new thinking about our service.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">This strategy provides a blueprint for how libraries can be better utilised, to make them more resilient while still delivering vital public services to the communities that need them.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Taskforce will also provide additional support and encourage public libraries in England that want to explore becoming public service mutuals. This will build on the experience of trailblazing library services in Suffolk, York, Devon, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire.</p>
<p>The Taskforce is also piloting new ways for libraries to generate income from government initiatives. From January 2017, it will explore how libraries can be used as part of the National Citizen Service programme to support the participation of young people.</p>
<p>The Taskforce, established in March 2015, reports to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Local Government Association.</p>
<p>Dr Paul Blantern, Chair of the Libraries Taskforce and Chief Executive of Northamptonshire County Council, said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">Libraries are vital community hubs - bringing people together, and giving them access to the services and support they need to help them live better. I’m delighted that our vision for public libraries in England is endorsed and supported by central government and by the Local Government Association on behalf of local government. We want this report to reform through action. We already have some of the best libraries in the world; if we learn from them and deliver the shared ambitions we set out, then we will have a vibrant, thriving and world-class public library network in England.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Brian Ashley, Director of Libraries, Arts Council England said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">Libraries are there for everyone, but their special role in helping people overcome disadvantage is second to none. They are the gateway to opportunity. So it’s great to have an additional £4m coming into the sector to fund new activities in libraries. I look forward to seeing a new wave of innovative projects making these opportunities real in their communities.</p>
</blockquote>
<h3 id="notes-to-editors">Notes to editors:</h3>
<p>Libraries Deliver: Ambition for public libraries in England 2016-2021 can be found <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/libraries-deliver-ambition-for-public-libraries-in-england-2016-to-2021">here</a></p>
<p>More information about the Opportunities for Everyone Innovation Fund and how to apply can be found <a rel="external" href="http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/libraries-opportunities-everyone-innovation-fund">here</a></p>
<p>Funding awards for the Opportunities for Everyone Innovation Fund will be announced by 31 March 2017. The programme will complete by March 2018.</p>
<p>There are 3,000 public libraries in England.</p>
<p>More information on the Libraries Taskforce can be found <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/libraries-taskforce">here</a></p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3456582016-12-01T10:31:51+00:002016-12-01T10:31:51+00:00Statement to Parliament: Written Ministerial Statement: 56th Horserace Betting Levy Scheme56th Horserace Betting Levy Scheme<div class="govspeak"><p>On 9th November 2016 the Chair of the Horserace Betting Levy Board (‘the HBLB’) informed me that the HBLB had been unable to approve a recommendation from the Bookmakers’ Committee as to the terms of the 56th Levy scheme. Under section 1(2) of the Horserace Betting Levy Act 1969 (‘the Act’), it therefore now falls to me to determine those terms. The Act allows me to determine a new scheme for the said period; or direct that the current scheme shall continue to have effect for that period.</p>
<p>In the March 2016 Budget, the Government set out a timetable for replacing the current Horserace Betting Levy by April 2017. It remains the Government’s intention to replace the current Levy scheme by this date. However until such time as the legislation has passed, the existing statutory requirements remain. Therefore my Determination for the 56th Levy scheme will only apply should the new Levy not be in place by April.</p>
<p>With this in mind, and having considered the arguments put forward by both betting and racing, I have decided to direct that the current Levy scheme should continue to have effect for 2017/18. In making this Determination I have had regard to the offer made by the Bookmakers’ Committee and taken into account the racing members of the Board’s reasons for rejecting this offer. Any discussions or negotiations about voluntary Levy contributions in respect of offshore remote betting operators are outside the scope of my statutory role in making this Determination.</p>
<p>Having concluded the Determination I would like express my disappointment that the HBLB and Bookmakers’ Committee were not able to agree the Levy scheme and that it has been necessary to refer this matter to Government.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3456502016-12-01T10:00:17+00:002016-12-01T10:00:17+00:00News story: Prime Minister appoints four new trustees to the Board of the Victoria & Albert Museum.Theresa May has appointed Benjamin Elliot, Steven Murphy, Professor Lynda Nead and Nigel Webb as Trustees at the V&A, for four years, from 1 January 2017.<div class="govspeak"><p>Benjamin Elliot is the Co-Founder of Quintessentially, the global luxury lifestyle company started in December 2000. Quintessentially now has 60 offices around the world, with over 3,000 employees. Ben is the Chairman of the Quintessentially Foundation for which he organises and participates in a number of events annually. Since 2008, the Foundation has raised over £9m from corporate and private contributions. Ben is also non-executive director of YouGov Plc and Partner in Hawthorn, a successful corporate communications business. He regularly contributes to the Financial Times, New York Times and other publications. Ben acts as a Trustee for The Eranda Rothschild Foundation and has sat on the Development Board of the V&amp;A Museum since 2015. Ben is also a Patron of Elephant Family; the charity founded by his uncle, Mark Shand.</p>
<p>Steven Murphy founded Murphy and Partners in 2015. The firm offers highly specialised business consultancy services and bespoke art advisory, with offices in London, New York and Hong Kong. Steven has held senior executive positions in the fields of publishing, music and art. Prior to Murphy and Partners, Steven was CEO of Christie’s for 5 years from 2010. He strengthened Christie’s global brand reach, enhanced client services and drove new business through digital initiatives and geographic expansion including the development of Christie’s Asia, most significantly by launching Christie’s in Mainland China. During his tenure, Christie’s achieved sales and profits at their highest ever levels. While leading Christie’s through this period of change, he was vigilant at maintaining the fundamental values of the brand and the company culture. Prior to joining Christie’s, Steven was CEO of Rodale, the US publishing company. Steven has wide experience leading global businesses including: Disney Publishing Worldwide, EMI Music/Angel Records and Simon &amp; Schuster. Steven also served on the Ralph Lauren’s Board of Directors from 2005 until 2015, when he assumed a consulting role for the company, advising senior management on strategic initiatives.</p>
<p>Professor Lynda Nead is Pevsner Professor of History of Art at Birkbeck, University of London. Trained in the history of decorative arts at the University of Leeds, she completed her PhD at University College London. She has published widely on the history of British art, including books on Victorian London, the relationship of art and early film and, most recently, art and culture in post-war Britain. She has continuing interests in the histories of design, dress, photography and film and was a founding director of the Photography Research Centre at Birkbeck. She has served on Advisory Boards at the Museum of London, Tate, the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art and the Foundling Museum and has been a member of the Leverhulme Trust Research Awards Advisory Council. She is currently also a member of English Heritage Blue Plaques Panel and an elected member of the Academia Europaea.</p>
<p>Nigel Webb is a Chartered Surveyor and Head of Development and a member of the Group Executive Committee at The British Land Company Plc. British Land is one of Europe’s largest Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) and one of the country’s leading property developers. Nigel has over 30 years of experience in property investment and development and has been responsible for over 11m sq ft of development including some of London’s landmark buildings. His experience includes developing projects such as The Leadenhall Building (“Cheesegrater”), The Broadgate Tower, The Willis Building, the UBS headquarters at 5 Broadgate, Ropemaker Place and development of the Regents’ Place campus.</p>
<p>V&amp;A Trustees are not remunerated. The appointments have been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Steven Murphy, Lynda Nead and Nigel Webb have declared no political activity. Ben Elliot has declared undertaking activity for the Conservative Party; he was appointed as Treasurer for the 2016 London Mayoral Campaign and also canvassed in support of the Conservative Party candidate prior to the election.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3455872016-11-30T16:30:27+00:002016-11-30T16:30:27+00:00News story: Charity Commission board appointmentsThree new appointments have been made to the Board of the Charity Commission for England and Wales.<div class="govspeak"><p>Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson has announced three new appointments to the Board of the Charity Commission for England and Wales.</p>
<p>They are Laurie Benson, Paul Martin and Catherine Quinn. All three have taken up their new posts this month and will serve a three year term.</p>
<p>Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">This is a period of fast-paced change at the Charity Commission as it completes its transformation programme. These appointments will bring new skills, knowledge and experience that will be of real benefit to the Charity Commission’s board.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>William Shawcross, Charity Commission Chair said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">I am delighted to welcome Laurie Benson, Paul Martin and Catherine Quinn to the Commission. They each bring with them a wealth of experience from which we will benefit greatly. I look forward to working with them in the coming months as we continue to strengthen the Commission and develop our work further.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2 id="about-the-new-board-members">About the new board members:</h2>
<h3 id="laurie-benson">Laurie Benson</h3>
<p>Laurie Benson is the CEO of Upnexxt Ltd, a media consultancy firm. Her previous roles include Publishing Director of Europe, Middle East and Africa for both Time Magazine and Time.com and Bloomberg Media. Laurie is a Trustee of the Royal Air Force Museum and a Non-Executive Director of The Medical Algorithms Company. She is also a regular industry speaker on topics of digital transformation.</p>
<h3 id="paul-martin">Paul Martin</h3>
<p>Paul Martin is an adviser and writer on security, risk and behaviour. He has previously served as Director of Security for Parliament and in the UK national security arena. Paul is a Senior Associate Fellow at RUSI (Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies) and a Distinguished Research Fellow at Imperial College London. He is also the author or co-author of several books on behavioural science.</p>
<h3 id="catherine-quinn">Catherine Quinn</h3>
<p>Catherine Quinn is Chief Operating Officer and Associate Dean at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. Her previous roles include Chief Executive of The Middle Temple, Head of Grants Management at the Wellcome Trust, and Director of Research Services at the University of Oxford. Catherine has been a member of several boards and is currently a Trustee of The Royal British Legion and a Non-Executive Director of the National Memorial Arboretum.</p>
<h3 id="notes-to-editors">Notes to editors</h3>
<p>The new board members have been appointed for three year terms and took up their posts on 14 November 2016.</p>
<p>The recruitment followed the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice, and its principles of fairness, merit and openness. The Code of Practice requires the disclosure of relevant and declarable political activity. No appointed candidate declared any political activity in their application.</p>
<p>The appointments were formally made by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Rt Hon Ben Gummer MP prior to the coming into force on 9th November of the Transfer of Functions (Elections, Referendums, Third Sector and Information) Order 2016 which transferred the statutory power of appointment to the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3455682016-11-30T15:00:00+00:002016-11-30T15:00:00+00:00News story: Prime Minister reappoints Wallace Collection Trustees Jessica Pulay and Jennifer Eady have been reappointed by the Prime Minister as Trustees at The Wallace Collection for four years, from 7 January 2017.<div class="govspeak"><h3 id="jessica-pulay">Jessica Pulay</h3>
<p>Jessica Pulay is Co-Head of Policy and Markets at the UK Debt Management Office, appointed in 2015. She is also a member of the managing board of the DMO. Previously she spent 16 years at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, where she was Deputy Head of Funding. Prior to joining the EBRD, Jessica worked as an executive director at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs and was also a managing director at Deutsche Bank, responsible for financing governments and supranationals. She started her career at Credit Suisse First Boston in 1987.</p>
<p>From 2010 to 2015 Jessica was vice chairman of the governing council of a London day-school, Queen’s College, Harley Street (where she headed its finance committee and served on the council from 1998). She has also been on the board of CILT (the National Centre for Languages) and has served on the fundraising committee of the Rugby Portobello Trust. Jessica helped to establish the Rewatha Orphanage in Sri Lanka, following the 2004 tsunami. She has also been a trustee of the Arts Foundation. She has been a trustee of the Wallace Collection since 2013, where her role includes chairing the Audit Committee.</p>
<h3 id="jennifer-eady-qc">Jennifer Eady QC</h3>
<p>Her Honour Judge Jennifer Eady QC sits as a Senior Circuit Judge at the Employment Appeal Tribunal and Deputy High Court Judge assigned to the Administrative Court. Before taking up salaried judicial office in December 2013, she was one of the leading Employment Law Barristers in the country, undertaking advocacy and advisory work for employers, employees, trade unions, employers’ associations, central and local government, statutory commissions and Non-Governmental Organisations. Jennifer took silk in 2006, having practised at the bar since 1990 and when in private practice, appeared in many of the leading employment cases. She was appointed to her first part-time judicial position in 2001 and thereafter sat in the Employment Tribunal and the Crown and County Courts. From 2008-2013, Jennifer was an independent member of the Acas Council. She has also held past office as a Trustee of the Free Representation Unit and member of the Pension Regulator’s Determinations Panel. She remains a Vice President of the Industrial Law Society. Jennifer lives in central London – the Wallace Collection being her “local” museum and gallery – with her husband and teenage son. She has a particular interest in the educational and outreach work of the Collection.</p>
<p>These reappointments have been made in accordance with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for defined political activity in the last five years to be made public. Neither have declared any such political activity.</p>
<p>Appointments to The Wallace Collection are made by the Prime Minister. Trustee roles are unremunerated.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3455572016-11-30T12:17:00+00:002016-11-30T12:17:00+00:00Speech: Matt Hancock's speech welcoming BFI FuturesMinister of State for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock's welcoming the BFI's new 5 year vision for UK film.<div class="govspeak"><p>I am delighted to be here this evening to launch BFI 2022, the BFI’s powerful new five year vision for UK film.</p>
<p>From Metropolis to Dr Marty from Spock to Skywalker, film has always felt futuristic.</p>
<p>So as we look to the future today, we stand at an exciting time for British Film. Perhaps at no time in history has film made here in Britain loomed so large on the world stage</p>
<p>Cast your mind back just to 2012, when the trends that have gathered pace since then were emerging, and the BFI launched its last, hugely successful strategy.</p>
<p>Back then film made in Britain was in a renaissance, with growing confidence, a growing talent base, and a growing international reputation.</p>
<p>Since then that growth has strengthened.</p>
<p>The value of UK film production in 2015 was £1.4bn.</p>
<p>Now we meet to launch the strategy for the next five years. We are all, here, united in our determination that Britain’s place build on this recent strength, protect what we have, and go forward.</p>
<p>There are challenges anew – but also opportunities like never before.</p>
<p>Where do we want to be in five years from now? How do we get there? What do we want our story be? These are the questions the BFI has asked and looked to answer in BFI2022.</p>
<p>First, we must remain at the top of our game when it comes to excellence: excellence of content and facilities and people. We know that content creation is thriving in the UK, propelled in part by our highly successful tax credits. The challenge is to keep building on this success. I want to ensure that the UK remains not only a great – but the best – place in the world to make film.</p>
<p>Excellence also requires the very best talent, and it’s amazing to see the hub of talent that’s developed here over the past few years. Now the best collection of producers and CGI and crew and of course actors are based in Britain, feeding the industry.</p>
<p>Second, this excellence will only be sustained by keeping open access.</p>
<p>We support finding talent for the industry wherever we find it, from all parts of the country, and continuing to attract the brightest and best from around the world.</p>
<p>I am delighted to see the BFI’s commitment to encourage opportunity for all, starting at the earliest age. Amongst the children who today are inspired, Into Film’s 10,000 after school film clubs are tomorrow’s scriptwriters, producers, directors, VFX artists.</p>
<p>Setting out a career pathway is vital, to capitalise on the natural appeal of film and inspiring people to believe - no matter who they are or where they come from - that a career is within their grasp, and then giving them the skills to achieve their ambitions.</p>
<p>To strengthen this access, I welcome the BFI’s commitment to devolve more decision-making to the regions in order to ensure this happens. The ongoing Black Star season - the UK’s biggest ever season of film and TV dedicated to celebrating black actors - has been a brilliant success, and I welcome the commitment to take an even stronger leadership role to improve diversity, broadening access to opportunity to people from all backgrounds.</p>
<p>It is only by encouraging the creative potential of everyone that we will truly advance our industry, telling stories that resonate with audiences not only across the UK, but around the world.</p>
<p>Third, we need to make sure the UK’s role on the global stage grows ever greater over the next five years.</p>
<p>I’m determined we will make a success of Brexit, and look to harness the potential of other markets, old and new.</p>
<p>The BFI has done great work in building relations with China, opening up cultural and commercial opportunities for UK film. We are currently engaged in negotiations with the Chinese to deliver a TV co-production treaty to sit alongside the film treaty signed in 2014 - making us only the second country in the world to achieve this feat.</p>
<p>On the other side of the globe US studios are clamouring to take advantage of our world-class studios and crews.</p>
<p>And I’m determined that we will be at the forefront of the synthesis that technology is bringing at pace across the screen industries. It is shrewdly reflected here in the BFI’s new commitment to support not only film, but also work destined for other platforms that tells a story, expresses an idea, or evokes an emotion through the art of the moving image.</p>
<p>One thing is certain - over the next five years more British stories will be told. Stories that reflect the breadth of our culture, our country, our way of life. That defines Britain to ourselves, and to the world.</p>
<p>The BFI have set out here a compelling vision for how UK film can speak for us all. And it contains an exciting proposal for how, right here on London’s Southbank , they propose a new centre that would be a veritable cathedral of film to host, celebrate, and inspire this British success story.</p>
<p>When people recognise their stories on screen, they engage - they visit - they stream - they see the future, and in this most modern of mediums they hear that age old human thing: a story.</p>
<p>You are the storytellers.</p>
<p>I look forward to working with you to see your story unfold.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3454672016-11-29T14:35:29+00:002016-11-29T14:35:29+00:00News story: Ministers hear from the UK tech industryGovernment ministers have heard from leading technology companies during a roundtable on the forthcoming negotiations with the EU.<div class="govspeak"><p>Continuing the Government’s extensive engagement programme ahead of Article 50 being triggered, ministers Robin Walker and Lord Bridges from the Department for Exiting the European Union and culture minister Matt Hancock held a roundtable with some of the biggest technology companies operating in the UK to hear their views on priorities for the sector.</p>
<p>Technology is one of the fastest growing sectors in Britain, expanding twice as fast as the UK economy as a whole in 2014. In recent weeks it has given the UK a massive vote of confidence with Apple, Google and Facebook announcing a raft of new jobs and significant investment in our economy over the coming years.</p>
<p>Among the topics of discussion were the Digital Single Market and access to talent once the UK has left the European Union. Attendees also considered the opportunities that are posed by the UK’s decision to withdraw from the EU and how continued growth can be ensured.</p>
<p>Speaking after the roundtable, Minister for Exiting the European Union, Robin Walker said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Britain is open for business as a global tech hub and we intend to make sure it stays that way. Since the UK voted to leave the EU we have seen many companies – including technology giants such as Google, Facebook and Apple – continue to invest here, creating thousands of new jobs across the country.</p>
<p class="last-child">The technology sector is a high performing area of our economy, and it was great to meet with them for a second time to hear their concerns and talk about how they can grasp the opportunities to stem from our new relationship with the EU.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Minister of State for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>With recent news of big investments in the UK by global tech giants it’s clear that the UK’s digital economy is thriving. We are determined to keep up the momentum and today have been listening to tech firms, large and small, about what matters most ahead of our EU negotiations.</p>
<p class="last-child">We are committed to protecting and supporting its growth so that together we can make the UK the most advanced digital nation in the world.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>CEO of Tech UK Julian David said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The UK tech sector has been the outstanding success of the UK economy over the last decade and will be vital to the UK’s future growth following its exit from the EU. It was great to have ministers fully engaged in today’s discussion, where tech leaders were able to share their passion for innovation.</p>
<p class="last-child">Whether discussing the challenges or the opportunities, tech companies believe the UK can have a positive future outside the EU as long as the UK remains open to innovation, talent, trade, investment and collaboration.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>By engaging with business leaders and key stakeholders both through roundtables and regional visits, the government is building a national consensus on the approach to the negotiations and and the UK’s future relationship with the EU.</p>
<p>Representatives from the following companies were present at the meeting:</p>
<ul>
<li>ARM</li>
<li>Cisco</li>
<li>Coadec</li>
<li>Facebook</li>
<li>Google</li>
<li>HPE</li>
<li>HP</li>
<li>Huawei</li>
<li>IBM</li>
<li>Microsoft</li>
<li>Samsung</li>
<li>Tech-City UK</li>
<li>Tech UK</li>
</ul>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3453912016-11-29T14:00:00+00:002016-11-29T14:00:00+00:00News story: Prime Minister appoints two new Tate TrusteesMoya Greene and Jayne-Anne Gadhia have been appointed by the Prime Minister as Trustees at Tate, for four years, from 14 November 2016.<div class="govspeak"><h2 id="moya-greene">Moya Greene</h2>
<p>Moya Greene has been Chief Executive Officer of Royal Mail Group since July 2010 responsible for the management of the business and the development of the strategy. Prior to joining Royal Mail, Moya was CEO of Canada Post where she led a successful transformation programme, significantly improving profitability despite declining mail volumes.</p>
<p>Ms. Greene has a strong track record in strategic planning, complex negotiations and relationship building in the private sector. She also has a strong public sector background, developed over a 17-year period when she assumed progressively senior roles in seven different Ministries of the Canadian federal public service.</p>
<p>In 2013, Ms Greene received the Sunday Times Business Person of the Year Award. In 2014, she received the Financial Times Boldness In Business Award and the Ashridge Business School Leader of the Year Award.</p>
<h2 id="jayne-anne-gadhia">Jayne-Anne Gadhia</h2>
<p>Jayne Anne Gadhia is the CEO of Virgin Money. A Chartered Accountant, she spent six years at Norwich Union (now Aviva) before becoming one of the founders of Virgin Direct in 1995. In 1998 she set up the Virgin One account which was acquired by the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2001. After five years at RBS as part of the Retail executive Committee, she returned to Virgin as the CEO of Virgin Money. In 2012 Virgin Money acquired Northern Rock and, in 2014, successfully listed on the London Stock Exchange.</p>
<p>A vocal supporter of businesses responsibility to make a positive contribution to society Jayne Anne is a trustee of Business in the Community.</p>
<p>In November 2016 Jayne-Anne was announced as the government’s Women in Finance Champion.</p>
<h3 id="the-board-of-tate-is-appointed-by-the-prime-minister-and-the-appointments-process-follows-the-ocpa-code-of-practice">The Board of Tate is appointed by the Prime Minister, and the appointments process follows the OCPA Code of Practice.</h3>
<h3 id="trustees-are-unpaid">Trustees are unpaid.</h3>
<h3 id="all-public-appointments-are-made-on-merit-and-political-activity-plays-no-part-in-the-selection-process--the-code-of-practice-of-the-commissioner-for-public-appointments-requires-any-declared-political-activity-by-the-successful-candidate-to-be-published-moya-has-declared-no-such-political-activity-jayne-anne-has-declared-that-she-was-previously-an-advisor-to-the-scotland-stronger-in-campaign-over-the-course-of-the-first-half-of-2016">All public appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. The Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments requires any declared political activity by the successful candidate to be published. Moya has declared no such political activity. Jayne-Anne has declared that she was previously an advisor to the Scotland Stronger In campaign over the course of the first half of 2016.</h3>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3454362016-11-29T11:37:00+00:002016-11-29T11:37:00+00:00News story: Cathedrals secure £5 million for repairs as part of First World War Centenary FundGovernment support for cathedrals recognises importance of these historic buildings as community hubs.<div class="govspeak"><p>Cathedrals across England will benefit from over £5 million for urgent repairs, it has been announced by Heritage Minister Tracey Crouch.</p>
<p>The grants have been awarded to 24 Church of England and Catholic cathedrals for repairs to stained glass windows, stone pinnacles, and roofs as well as drainage and lighting.</p>
<p>Discover cathedrals near you awarded funding in our <a rel="external" href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=13r6dr_uzqbMZ1BBQRKdzBAqSgTk&amp;ll=52.68042168141286%2C-1.875164199999972&amp;z=6">Google map</a></p>
<p>It is the final phase of a two year grants programme to fund repairs to English cathedrals.</p>
<p>Heritage Minister, Tracey Crouch said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">The First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund has done fantastic work to help revive and restore stunning cathedrals across the country.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">Cathedrals are not only beautiful pieces of architecture, they hold centuries of our nation’s history and are centrepieces in our communities. This important fund will help maintain and repair these historic buildings so they can be enjoyed for years to come by everyone.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Tracey Crouch visited Southwark Cathedral on 29 November. The cathedral has benefited from grants from the Fund for re-roofing works to prevent leaks and damage to internal stonework and improvements to drainage. Standing at the earliest crossing point of the tidal Thames, Southwark Cathedral is the oldest Gothic church building in London.</p>
<p>In total, £40 million has been allocated through 146 awards to 57 cathedrals. The average award was £274,000, with 12 cathedrals receiving more than £1 million each. The largest number of projects - approximately one third - are for roof repairs, followed by high-level stonework repairs, then repairs to towers and stained glass windows. A number of essential infrastructure projects, such as rewiring, drainage, heating systems, have also been supported.</p>
<p>Dr John Inge, Bishop of Worcester and lead bishop for the Church of England, said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">Cathedrals are not only the jewel in the crown of our built heritage, they are at the heart of our nation’s common life – through commemoration, remembering, celebration and grief. People can find space and solace in them, both in large acts of worship and solitary contemplation. These welcome grants ensure that they continue to enrich our society in the future.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Church of England’s 42 cathedrals are estimated to contribute around £220 million to the national economy every year through employment and tourism. They welcome more than 11 million visitors annually, employ more than 7,000 people and are supported by 15,000 dedicated volunteers.</p>
<p>Dame Fiona Reynolds Chair, Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England, said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">These grants have enabled our Cathedrals to take another step forward in the task of ensuring they are in good shape to offer future generations the extraordinary experiences that inspire so many of us today.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The grants have brought work to specialist trades such as stonemasonry and glazing as well as training partnerships such as at Southwark where the work from the grants will include a training partnership with the City and Guilds of London Art School.</p>
<p>Caroline Spelman MP, Second Church Estates Commissioner, said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">This announcement shows the Government’s continuing commitment to supporting the national role of cathedrals as community centres, places of education and training, as well as peaceful retreats and places of great beauty. The £40m Fund is a farsighted investment that will bring a return to cities across the country.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Sir Paul Ruddock, Chair of the Expert Panel of the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund, which assessed the grant applications, said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">England’s cathedrals are at the heart of its communities and this second tranche of funding has enabled essential repairs for buildings, some of which are almost 1000 years old. In every case, the repairs funded have prevented much more costly problems developing and we are very grateful for the government’s continued support.</p>
</blockquote>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3454312016-11-29T11:13:00+00:002016-11-29T11:13:00+00:00News story: Give to a good cause you love! Government supports #GivingTuesdayMinister for Civil Society visits Small Acts of Kindness and sets out ways giving can be encouraged.<div class="govspeak"><p>A social enterprise in Watford that helps lonely and isolated people in Hertfordshire was visited today by Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson to celebrate #GivingTuesday.</p>
<p><a rel="external" href="http://www.smallactsofkindness.co.uk/">‘Small Acts of Kindness’</a> sources and hands out gifts to older people in Hertfordshire including ‘warm in winter’ gift packs that include blankets, thermal socks and hot drinks to help older people in the community.</p>
<p>Rob Wilson also presented the Prime Minister’s <a rel="external" href="https://www.pointsoflight.gov.uk/">Points of Light Award</a> to the organisation’s founder Lynne Misner.</p>
<p>Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving that follows the Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday’s online shopping activity. It shifts the emphasis to giving, and last year broke the world record for the most amount of money donated online in 24 hours.</p>
<p>Government is proud to support the movement and the Minister for Civil Society has called on as many people as possible to join the celebrations and donate to a good cause.</p>
<p><a rel="external" href="https://youtu.be/jGFqql9jDJ8">Watch Rob Wilson’s message in support of Giving Tuesday:</a></p>
<h2 id="giving-roundtables">Giving Roundtables</h2>
<p>The Minister has also announced how Government will take forward the conclusions of a series of Giving Roundtables coordinated by Government. These discussions brought together experts from across civil society, business and academia to look at how giving can be further encouraged.</p>
<p>At the launch of the Roundtables in July, the Minister committed up to £1 million to take forward ideas that develop our culture of giving.</p>
<p>Read more about <a rel="external" href="http://www.givingtuesday.org.uk/">#GivingTuesday</a> and ways to support it. You can also support the movement on social media by following <a rel="external" href="https://twitter.com/givingtuesdayuk">@givingtuesdayuk</a> and use #GivingTuesday to share the message with your followers.</p>
<p>Read Rob Wilson’s recent blog looking ahead to <a rel="external" href="http://dcmsblog.uk/2016/11/marking-month-localcharitiesday/">#LocalCharitiesDay on 16 December</a></p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3450282016-11-28T09:53:28+00:002016-11-28T09:53:28+00:00News story: DCMS commitment to Information Management Assessment programmeStatement affirming Department for Culture Media and Sport commitment to The National Archives Information Management Assessment (IMA) programme.<div class="govspeak"><p>The Department for Culture Media and Sport’s Permanent Secretary Sue Owen said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">The Department for Culture Media and Sport last undertook an Information Management Assessment (IMA) in 2010. This was part of the regular programme of assessments that The National Archives conducts to review information, records and knowledge management standards within government departments. To demonstrate the strength of the department’s commitment I have asked The National Archives to carry out an Information Management reassessment in March 2017.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">The Department for Culture Media and Sport recognises the importance of meeting its corporate obligations to effectively manage, protect and exploit its information. The report that The National Archives produces will help me to support all aspects of knowledge and information management across the department. It will help to make sure that our information, knowledge and records are appropriately captured, managed and preserved, and information risks and sensitivities are suitably handled.</p>
</blockquote>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3446462016-11-20T00:00:20+00:002016-11-20T00:00:20+00:00News story: New blocking powers to protect children onlinePornographic websites that refuse to stop children accessing explicit content will be blocked under new Government plans.
<div class="govspeak"><p>Regulator the British Board of Film Classification BBFC will be given powers to make internet service providers restrict access to pornographic sites which do not put tough age verification measures in place to protect kids.</p>
<p>Amendments to the Digital Economy Bill bringing in the robust new measure will be tabled next week and is the latest tool to stop children viewing adult content online.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/people/karen-bradley">Karen Bradley</a>, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">The Government is committed to keeping children safe from harmful pornographic content online and that is exactly what we are doing.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">Only adults should be allowed to view such content and we have appointed a regulator, BBFC, to make sure the right age checks are in place to make that happen. If sites refuse to comply, they should be blocked.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/digital-economy-bill-2016">Digital Economy Bill</a> already contains measures to bring in age verification for pornographic sites and the ability to withdraw payment services from non-compliant sites - hitting them in the pocket.</p>
<p>This latest measure will allow the BBFC to go further by directing ISPs to block access to rogue sites.</p>
<p>The Government has been working with the ISPs and the BBFC on the move to ensure it will be successful in protecting children.</p>
<p>It is also seeking co-operation from other supporting services like servers to crack down on wrongdoers.</p>
<p>The measures will protect children from accessing pornography online, just as they are protected offline.</p>
<p>The risks and harm to young children who view pornography are real. Not only can it distress them, it can have a damaging impact on how they view sex and relationships for the rest of their lives.</p>
<p>A recent survey by the NSPCC found that 47% of 11-16 year olds had accessed an adult site and that one in five 11-17 year olds said they had seen pornographic images that shocked or upset them.</p>
<p>The regulator BBFC will be given the powers to direct ISPs to prevent access to any site that doesn’t have age verification in place. If sites won’t take the step to ensure children can’t access their content, this new power will make sure they can’t by preventing viewers accessing the site.</p>
<p>The amendment will allow the age verification regulator, BBFC, to issue a notice to ISPs, and those that cover mobile network operators, to prevent access to websites that have no or inadequate age-verification for pornographic material.</p>
<p>The regulator will have flexibility with a range of options and which one they use will depend on the circumstances of any given case. However, once they have been instructed to act, ISPs will prevent access to the whole pornography site.</p>
<h2 id="notes-to-editors">Notes to Editors</h2>
<ul>
<li>The requirement to block websites would apply to all sites in the UK and overseas. Where websites originate in the EU the process will be compatible with country of origin rules.</li>
</ul>
<p>What we have done to protect children from accessing harmful pornographic material:</p>
<ol>
<li>In October we announced that the age verification regulator would be the British Board of Film Classification.</li>
<li>The top 50 sites account for 70% of users. Many, including the largest free site by market share have agreed with the government to implement age verification.</li>
<li>Free pornography sites are teasers for paid sites. The payment service providers (eg VISA, Mastercard) have agreed, if needed, to withdraw transaction services from non-compliant websites.</li>
<li>Websites need servers to host them, advertisers to support them, and infrastructure to connect them. With the international and unregulated manner in which the Internet operates we cannot compel supporting services to be denied but the regulator will seek to gain cooperation from the industry.</li>
<li>For those sites who won’t comply with Age Verification we will allow the regulator to implement ISP blocking and take the sites down.</li>
<li>Read: A quantitative and qualitative examination of the impact of online pornography on the values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of children and young on the <a rel="external" href="https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/MDX%20NSPCC%20OCC%20pornography%20report%20June%202016.pdf">Children’s Commissioner website</a>
</li>
</ol>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3445922016-11-18T13:56:23+00:002016-11-18T13:56:23+00:00News story: Government asks Law Commission to look into pension funds and social impact investmentThe Law Commission has been asked to provide an accessible account of the law in this area, and to consider the legal or regulatory barriers to social investment.<div class="govspeak"><p>The Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson, has asked the Law Commission to look at social investment by pension funds. In particular, how far the law does or should allow pension funds to select an investment because it would make a positive social impact? The Law Commission has been asked to provide an accessible account of the law in this area, and to consider the legal or regulatory barriers to social investment.</p>
<p>Rob Wilson, Minister for Civil Society said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">This is an important piece of work by the Law Commission which should contribute to mainstreaming social investment through investment of capital by pension schemes. The right social impact investments can fit the return profile needed by pensions as well as delivering positive outcomes for society</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Social investment delivers intentional social impact alongside a financial return. The Government is keen to see growth in social investment as a way for social enterprises, charities that trade, and businesses with a social mission to access private investment funds. The Law Commission project is just one of a number of ways in which the Government is seeking to support social investment and social enterprises. Read the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/507215/6.1804_SIFT_Strategy_260216_FINAL_web.pdf">Government’s 2016 social investment strategy</a>.</p>
<p>The Law Commission has issued a call for evidence, seeking responses by 15 December 2016. This, along with background materials, can be found on <a rel="external" href="http://lawcom.gov.uk/project/pension-funds-and-social-investment/">its website</a> under “consultations and related documents”.</p>
<p>Their report will be published in May 2017.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3445582016-11-18T12:00:21+00:002016-11-18T12:00:21+00:00Press release: Export bar to save £11m Bellotto paintingCulture Minister steps in to prevent painting of Königstein fortress from export
<div class="govspeak"><p>Culture Minister Matt Hancock has placed a temporary export bar on a painting by Bernardo Bellotto to keep it in the country.</p>
<p>The painting of the Fortress of Königstein is at risk of being exported from the UK unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of £11 million.</p>
<p>A nephew and pupil of the celebrated artist Canaletto, Bellotto’s early works are very close in style to those of his master. In 1747 he moved to Dresden at the invitation of King Augustus III of Poland where he developed his own distinctive vision of landscape.</p>
<p>This painting is one of a set of five large-scale views of Königstein, a hill-top fortress near Dresden, commissioned by Augustus III. Bellotto began working in spring 1756 but his pictures were never delivered to Augustus as the artist and his family were forced to flee when war broke out.</p>
<p>All five paintings ended up in Britain, where at least two are recorded from the 1770s.</p>
<p>Culture Minister Matt Hancock said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">This magnificent painting showcases Bellotto’s immense skill and technique at one of the most important phases of his career. There is more we can learn about both the artist and the subject from this painting. As one of the finest examples of its kind I hope the funds can be raised so it remains in the UK.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by The Arts Council.</p>
<p>The RCEWA made its recommendation on the grounds that its departure from the UK would be a misfortune because it was of outstanding aesthetic importance and because of its outstanding significance for the study of Bellotto and the representation of European dynastic strength, military might and enlightened rule.</p>
<p>RCEWA member Aidan Weston-Lewis said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">The large views Bellotto painted in Dresden and the surrounding area are amongst the most original and impressive of all eighteenth-century European landscape paintings. This monumental depiction of the historic fortress of Königstein rising dramatically from the rocky outcrop on which it is built is the most important of his mature works remaining in the UK, and its departure overseas would be very regrettable.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The decision on the export licence application for the painting will be deferred until 17 February 2017. This may be extended until 17 August 2017 if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase it is made at the recommended price of £11,000,000.</p>
<p>Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the painting should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.</p>
<p>Images of the painting can be downloaded <a rel="external" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thedcms/30940218232/in/dateposted/">here</a>.</p>
<h3 id="ends">ENDS</h3>
<p>For media information contact:</p>
<div class="address"><div class="adr org fn"><p>
Rebecca Evans
<br>Senior Communications Officer
<br>Department for Culture Media and Sport
<br>Tel: 0207 211 6513
<br>Email: rebecca.evans@culture.gov.uk
<br>
</p></div></div>
<h3 id="notes-to-editors">Notes to editors</h3>
<p>1.Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the painting should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>Details of the painting are as follows:
The Fortress of Königstein, from the North
Bernardo Bellotto (1722-1780)
Oil on canvas, 52 x 93 inches (132 x 236 cm)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by The Arts Council, advises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The Arts Council champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. It supports a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. www.artscouncil.org.uk</p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3444862016-11-17T16:34:23+00:002016-11-17T16:34:23+00:00Speech: Rob Wilson's speech at the ACEVO Annual ConferenceMinister for Civil Society Rob Wilson's speech to the ACEVO Annual Conference 2016: Passionate Professionalism – Leading with Heart and Head<div class="govspeak"><p>Thank you Sharon for the introduction and to ACEVO for inviting me today.</p>
<p>Firstly, I’d like to congratulate Vicky Browning on her appointment as the new Chief Executive of ACEVO. I look forward to working with you when you start in the New Year.</p>
<p>‘Leading with Head and Heart’ is a great theme for this conference. For me, the charity sector and the work it does is at the heart of our society. It is also at the heart of government’s ambition for a country that works for everyone, not just the privileged few.</p>
<p>I want to take this opportunity to offer you all my personal thanks for your leadership in the sector. I feel lucky that I get to work with so many committed people.</p>
<p>I also want to take the chance to thank the (nearly) 1 million trustees we have in the UK, almost all of whom volunteer their time to support charities across the country. Trustees Week was a fantastic way to celebrate their contribution.</p>
<p>The relationship between trustees and the executive is not always easy. But the direction, challenge and support that good trustees provide is central to the successful leadership of charities up and down the country.</p>
<p>I know that times are challenging at the moment. We are going through one of the biggest political changes in recent history. The demands on charities are increasing and there is still a big job ahead of us to increase public trust in the sector.</p>
<p>It’s therefore an important moment to embrace reform and take advantage of the huge opportunities that exist for the sector.</p>
<p>My vision is for a society and economy that works for everyone. A society where individuals, communities, civil society and businesses, take more of a role in solving our collective challenges.</p>
<p>To be able do this, we need a confident and capable voluntary sector, armed with the skills and support it needs to meet the challenges that are ahead of it.</p>
<p>We need a sector that is sustainable, resilient and able to continue growing, despite the challenging financial conditions.</p>
<p>Social investment presents an excellent opportunity for charities to meet this challenge and diversify their income streams. Charities are increasingly choosing to take on investment in order to scale up or expand into new areas.</p>
<p>But let me be absolutely clear: social investment isn’t right for every organisation or initiative. Grant-making will continue to have its place in the funding mix.</p>
<p>But social investment does create a new way for charities to innovate and create more efficient and sustainable business models.</p>
<p>One example, where I have seen the impact of social investment first hand, is St Mungo’s.</p>
<p>I visited only a few weeks ago to learn about the work it does providing accommodation and support for homeless people.</p>
<p>It has used social investment to provide safe, good quality and affordable private accommodation, for people who are ready to move on from hostels.</p>
<p>We want to enable more charities to choose social investment and continue to grow their services like St Mungo’s.</p>
<p>I also want to support the sustainability of the sector by helping more small and medium sized charities access the public service market.</p>
<p>These small charities are the lifeblood of our communities.</p>
<p>They bring local expertise, knowledge and connections to the public services they provide. They have the potential to deliver better outcomes for those in need.</p>
<p>Despite these benefits there are clearly barriers that are making it difficult for smaller charities to take part. Reform is needed to help these organisations engage with commissioners and start taking an active role in delivering public service contracts.</p>
<p>We are working to establish a long-term plan to deliver change and open up these opportunities. I will be making an announcement on the next steps on that shortly.</p>
<p>I know many of you have contributed to this work and I look forward to continuing to engage with you as we put our plans into action over the next few months and years.</p>
<p>A capable and confident voluntary sector can also be better supported through exploiting the power and potential of digital technology.</p>
<p>The UK Digital Index recently published by Lloyd’s Bank, revealed that only 51% of charities have basic digital skills. 43% of charities don’t even have a website.</p>
<p>There is a really significant opportunity for charities to use digital to transform how they work. And this isn’t limited to fundraising. Digital has the potential to make charities more effective and more efficient. Both in how an organisation is run and how services are delivered.</p>
<p>One example of best practice given by the Lloyd’s Index is ME North East. After receiving training and transforming its Facebook page, the charity doubled its number of followers.</p>
<p>Its Facebook posts now regularly reach over 3,000 of its members. Using an online channel has saved the charity money. But more importantly, its Facebook page has become a key way to communicate with its beneficiaries, at a time and place that suits their particular needs.</p>
<p>To achieve its potential the voluntary sector must also retain and grow the trust of the public. To achieve this the sector must be ready to reform and modernise.</p>
<p>We’ve worked with the sector to deliver key reforms in a number of areas this will continue to be our goal.</p>
<p>A strong and clear legal framework for the sector to operate within is key to maintaining the trust of the public. The new Charities Act has given the Charity Commission new, tougher powers to tackle the most serious abuses.</p>
<p>These powers include strengthening the protection of charities, for example, by disqualifying unsuitable people from being charity trustees or senior managers.</p>
<p>Fundraising has perhaps been the biggest factor in falling public trust over the last two years. The new Fundraising Regulator gives charities the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to positive fundraising reform.</p>
<p>It represents the best opportunity to show that you have listened to the concerns of the public and that the sector can hold itself to account. This is why it is vital that all of you demonstrate your support by registering and complying with it.</p>
<p>I have, so far, been encouraged by charities’ support for the new Fundraising Regulator and hope to see it meeting the expectations of the public and Parliament.</p>
<p>In the future I also want to see more social action and volunteering, with community participation embedded in our lives from school days onwards.</p>
<p>I want to build stronger communities that are empowered to solve their own problems.</p>
<p>Increased social action will also strengthen the resources available to charities to deliver their important missions.</p>
<p>We have had tremendous success in increasing levels of youth social action since 2010.</p>
<p>National Citizen Service is delivering more confident, capable and engaged young people. I want to build further on this and make NCS a rite of passage for all young people in the 21st century.</p>
<p>That is why I have introduced the NCS Bill, to enable the NCS Trust to continue working with young people long into the future. I have met lots of young people who have been through NCS and I have seen the transformative effect it has had on their lives. I want to ensure that many more can benefit from this experience.</p>
<p>There is now an equal opportunity for us to increase levels of volunteering amongst people later in life.</p>
<p>Research consistently shows that volunteering positively affects our health and wellbeing as we get older, including our mental health.</p>
<p>The Office for Civil Society and Nesta have announced three new grant funds to explore how more charities and public services can better tap into the skills and experience of volunteers over 50.</p>
<p>We have an opportunity now to encourage more older people to give their time and share their skills to help improve local communities across the country.</p>
<p>I also want to see increased levels of giving, to boost the resources available to charities to achieve their social goals.</p>
<p>Millions of people in Britain today are already giving up their time, talent and expertise to help their fellow citizens and build this compassionate society.</p>
<p>And a large amount of inspiring work is already done by charities, communities and social enterprises.</p>
<p>My aim is to help more people who want to use their money to transform lives, connect to the organisations that can put those funds to work.</p>
<p>And this is not limited to the charity sector.</p>
<p>I am keen that we harness the power of business to generate social impact, which is why I am currently leading a review of Mission-led Business.</p>
<p>Businesses are key partners in increasing this country’s culture of giving and volunteering and there is more that can be done to harness this in the workplace.</p>
<p>This includes tapping the potential of initiatives such as payroll giving and employer supported volunteering schemes - that enable staff to mentor, lend their skills and help others.</p>
<p>I am also keen that we maximise giving to support small and local charities and that we encourage further giving from high income individuals.</p>
<p>We have just concluded a series of Giving Roundtables exploring these themes and in July I announced up to £1 million over the next two years to take forward ideas. I hope to say more on this shortly.</p>
<p>Before I close, I want to touch on the UK’s decision to leave the EU.</p>
<p>We recognise that charities and other civil society organisations have important views on Brexit. We are listening to you and are keen for any information you can share with us. Not only on the challenges but also the opportunities you see in exiting the EU.</p>
<p>If you have not done so already, I would encourage you to write to me to share your views on behalf of your organisation, and also on behalf of your beneficiaries.</p>
<p>But I want to reassure you that there will be important areas of stability.</p>
<p>The UK economy is fundamentally extremely strong. In recent years, the UK has been the fastest-growing economy in the G7 and one of the strongest major advanced economies in the world. The UK has the highest employment rate in its history, low and stable inflation, and rising real wages and disposable income.</p>
<p>EU law does not directly regulate charities or social enterprises. Civil Society is regulated by Member States’ domestic legislation. This reduces the direct impact of leaving the EU on charities and social enterprises.</p>
<p>Government has also guaranteed that all European structural and investment fund projects signed before the Autumn Statement 2016 will be fully funded. This will be the case for all sectors, so long as they provide strong value for money and are in line with domestic strategic priorities.</p>
<p>As we work towards negotiating Brexit, we will focus on ensuring the successes of it are shared by the many, not just the privileged few.</p>
<p>So if I could leave you now with one message, it is this:</p>
<p>The future holds a great deal of opportunity for the sector.</p>
<p>Grasping these opportunities will involve reform and in some cases, changes to long established practices. Success will be dependent on strong, bold, forward-thinking leadership.</p>
<p>I know that those of you in this room and across the sector have what it takes to adapt to the challenges we face today.</p>
<p>I, and this Government, are committed to supporting you and improving the long-term outlook for charities. Together, we will create a bigger, stronger society for all.</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3444522016-11-17T15:25:59+00:002016-11-17T15:25:59+00:00Speech: An Internet for Children and Young PeopleBaroness Shields addresses the Internet Governance Forum<div class="govspeak"><p>Thank you for inviting me to speak today. The Internet Governance Forum is a unique venue that brings together a wide range of stakeholders from industry, civil society, government, parliamentarians to academics. So it’s a real pleasure for me to talk about a subject matter that I care very deeply about - children and young people.</p>
<p>I know everyone in this room thinks about the internet and its future. You ask: How can technology help us? How can businesses thrive in the digital economy? How can we stay safe from cyber attacks? How do we keep the internet open and free for it to thrive? How does social media influence political debate? How can we reach the next billion internet users?</p>
<p>My colleague Matt Hancock spoke earlier about some of these issues. And I know these topics, and many more, will be debated by speakers and participants today.</p>
<h3 id="children-and-young-people-online">Children and Young People online</h3>
<p>As Minister for Internet Safety and Security, one of the things I think a lot about is children and young people. According to Ofcom 87% of children aged 5-15 go online. We know that the internet has been a game changer for them - as for adults - and that it has brought incredible opportunities. It can enrich the lives of children and young people by offering new ways to communicate and be creative, stay in touch with peers and learn about the world. With so much information at the tip of their fingers, they can research their homework, find peer groups online and seek support and advice if they need it.</p>
<p>When you look at the data available that you realize how the online world is a massive part of their lives. Last year Ofcom compared children’s media access and consumption across ten years – between 2005 and 2015. It showed that:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>the amount of time 8-11s and 12-15s spend online has more than doubled. In a typical week, 8-11 year olds spend 11 hours online, up from 4 hours. For 12-15 year olds, it’s nearly 19 hours. Up from 8 hours a week.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>there is less research on 3-4 year olds, but we know that over half of children this age use a tablet. And that over 60% of 5-15s also use one.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Since 2005, interestingly - but perhaps unsurprisingly - the mobile phone has overtaken the TV set as the device 12-15s would miss the most. And for the first time, those in this age group who watch both TV and YouTube, say they prefer to watch YouTube content to TV programmes.</p>
<p>Of children who go online, nearly a quarter aged 8-11 and three-quarters aged 12-15 have a social media profile.
Just yesterday Ofcom reported that:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>for the first time 5-15s spend more time online that watching TV. That’s 15 hours of time spent online.
87% of 12-15s use YouTube website or app.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>take up of a social media account increases sharply between 12 and 13, from 50% to 75%.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>So we know that young people spend quite a bit of time on the internet. Even prefer it to TV. Devices and online content start to become a part of their lives very early on. Many will also be sophisticated users of apps, and use a range of devices proficiently, including games consoles. This generation of under 18s will have different expectations from digital communications compared to adults.</p>
<p>While the internet has brought a lot of good, unfortunately, it also has its challenges. It reflects the ills and dangers in society. Children and young people in particular are vulnerable to a range of risks. They may be exposed to age-inappropriate material online such as pornography, violence or hate speech. They can fall prey to bullying. Their personal images could be shared online without their permission or they may seek to imitate dangerous behaviour. Under 18s may also not fully know how to protect their privacy and share where they live, or start to interact with strangers that can lead to threats and abuse, or in the worst cases, to physical, sexual or psychological harm.</p>
<h3 id="governments-approach-to-child-internet-safety">Government’s approach to child internet safety</h3>
<p>I passionately believe that in order to protect children from harm and violence in the 21st century, we must act to secure their safety online. I’d like to share how the Government is doing this while ensuring children and young people continue to benefit from the opportunities brought by the internet.</p>
<p>The UK has in place a range of robust offences to protect children from sexual abuse, exploitation and exposure to harmful material and activity online and offline. We are also passing new legislation to ensure that children are restricted from seeing commercial pornographic content online. While Government itself can drive change to improve child internet safety - and will continue to do so - our frame of mind is similar to supporters of the UK and Global UN IGF: we believe in the benefits of multi-stakeholder efforts and in building long-term partnerships with industry and other experts.</p>
<p>Multi-stakeholder approaches are hard work. It requires a common understanding of what’s important, a vision for the future, and a drive and commitment by a range of people and organisations that may not be a natural fit. I have been privileged to work on two initiatives with such a strong purpose: the UK Council for Child Internet Safety and WeProtect. And my conclusion is that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.</p>
<p>The Government is committed to improving the safety of children online and have a strong track-record in working with the internet industries and the charity sector to drive progress. At home, we have the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), a multi-stakeholder forum representing over 200 organisations with an interest in child internet safety. I am one of its co-Chairs, along with Ministerial colleagues from Education and the Home Office. The UKCCIS Executive Board responds to new and emerging issues by setting up working groups to examine them in-depth. Through the voluntary efforts of its members, and encouragement by Government, UKCCIS has achieved a lot over the years. We have:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>rolled-out free, family-friendly filters for the vast majority of broadband customers with prompts to encourage parents to activate them.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>supported providers of social media and interactive services with a guide to encourage businesses to think about “safety by design” to help make their platforms safer for under 18</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>created advice for schools and colleges on how to respond to incidents of ‘sexting’; and also guidance for school governors on online safety.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Something I am very excited about is new work that UKCCIS has just started on Digital Resilience. It brings together relevant stakeholders that represent the education sector, parents, industry, expert civil society organisations and children themselves. What do I mean by ‘digital resilience’? Well, it’s all those things we can do to stay safe around people we meet on the internet. Many of you may do it without thinking - sometimes it’s common sense and sometimes it isn’t. So we are looking at these areas and what help and advice is already out there. We want to see what more we need to do to improve how children and young people have the digital skills and emotional understanding to feel empowered to lead their digital lives safely. It’s very ambitious work and it is through such focused working groups that the UKCCIS Board is able to respond to new and emerging issues.
We are also looking at new and emerging technology so we can assess if they will have an impact on children and young people’s safety.</p>
<p>Another extremely important area of my work as joint Home Office Minister is combating the sexual exploitation of children online. The Government strongly supports the work of the Internet Watch Foundation in tackling illegal images, and recognises the work that the internet industry has done to make blocking a real success. But the sexual exploitation of children online cannot be dealt with by any one country, company or organisation working in isolation: a coordinated global response is needed to address this global threat.</p>
<p>With this in mind, the UK has brought together the WePROTECT Global Alliance to End Child Sexual Exploitation Online: a global coalition of countries, technology firms and organisations committed to national and global action to end the online sexual exploitation of children, working together to identify and safeguard more victims of this terrible crime and apprehend more perpetrators. It was launched in London nearly two years ago. Since then, it has merged with the Global Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Online. This has created, for the first time, a single global initiative with the expertise, influence and resources to transform how this crime is dealt with worldwide. By joining up our efforts across national borders, we can guarantee children the future that they deserve and secure their safety in the digital world.</p>
<p>I am really pleased the UK IGF is hosting a youth panel this year, and that they will have the opportunity to share their views with you on what everyone has been discussing today.</p>
<p>I want to leave you with a final thought. Since the global UN IGF started – eleven years now – the generation of under 18s has been quietly but steadily increasing their stake in the areas you are discussing today. Last year, the global UN IGF’s mandate was renewed for another ten years – can you imagine what this cohort will think of the internet then? They will be setting up businesses, programming with the same ease as they type text messages today, and coming up with the next generation of technology. Some might be following your footsteps and think about internet governance.</p>
<p>My appeal to you is to incorporate children and young people into your thinking. As you consider your areas of work, research for new trends, and as you wonder how technology will impact society in future, consider the interests of children and the opinions of young people. Help them participate in our journey because before you know it, they will be right next to you deciding about our future.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3444282016-11-17T15:04:30+00:002016-11-17T15:04:30+00:00Speech: The future of the Internet: freedom in a frameworkMinister for Digital Matt Hancock addresses the Internet Governance Forum<div class="govspeak">
<p>It’s a great pleasure to be at the UK Internet Governance Forum – my first as Digital Minister – and a crucial event in the life of the Internet’s governance.</p>
<p>It’s a great honour to speak here because I feel my life, like so many of yours, has been bound up with the development of the net.</p>
<p>I still remember my first online communication, to a friend who lived about a mile away, when a dial-up literally meant dialling his number. The phone bill wasn’t pretty.</p>
<p>I remember being astonished by how he got a new number so he could dial up something called an Internet Service Provider, and that the number of minutes he spent on the phone line didn’t affect his bill. It was amazing. I wonder what ever happened to those Internet Service Providers. Anyway, the best thing was the rest of his family were delighted as the new line meant they could start making phone calls again.</p>
<p>I remember like yesterday Clive James’s series on TV called the “information super highway” where he devoted a whole series to laughing about the idea that - sometime in the future - we could write to each other and reply immediately over a phone line, or find information from a library on the other side of the world. Amazing. I hope someone followed up on that.</p>
<p>And then I remember the time Steve Jobs said that the entire history of the world – more information, better organised, and more freely available than ever before – was about to become available in everyone’s phone. I thought they’d really nailed data compression. Wrong. They’d invented the smartphone.</p>
<p>Now of course the Internet is a central part of the lives of most people on the planet – at the core of human relationships, business, education, trade, entertainment: humanity is connected like never before and the impact is everywhere.</p>
<p>Small wonder, then, that I’m excited to be here at the Internet Governance Forum. It matters to me, it matters to you, and it matters to most people on the planet.</p>
<p>Our connected world underpins our prosperity too, with millions of jobs and billions of value directly linked to the Internet. Connectivity is no luxury but a must – and I’ve got a whole other speech on broadband if you want to hear it.</p>
<p>But today I want to share with you my thoughts, born of my experiences in tech both as a citizen, in business, and as a Minister.</p>
<p>I want to address governance very directly, because I believe that governance matters.</p>
<p>But before I do that, I want to address how I believe we should think about the way the Internet is run.</p>
<p>There is an argument, which has deep roots, that the Internet is both ungovernable, and oughtn’t be governed.</p>
<p>I want to discuss this argument very directly.</p>
<p>My starting point is that the Internet is a great force for freedom. It is an invention of humanity, for all humanity, and radically democratising, liberating, and enervating in its operation. The Internet transcends borders and brings people together like never before.</p>
<p>This is a huge and progressive change.</p>
<p>Yet it brings with it challenges, as it disrupts established ways of doing things. As a tiny example, remember the crises of email rage a decade ago, as people learned how to write, and respond to emails, in a way that needed to be different to their approach to phone calls or letters.</p>
<p>Email was progress, but that progress needed cultural change to harness its power for the good, and stop the progress – email – leading to reversion to animalistic behaviour as email rage unintentionally stoked tensions.</p>
<p>Twitter democratises people’s voices, but has increased online abuse too. I’m pleased to see the policy changes they announced earlier this week around hateful conduct and muting functions.</p>
<p>Tinder, Uber, Amazon: they all improve people’s lives overall but need careful handling.</p>
<p>And the thing about these sorts of trade-offs is that they are not new.</p>
<p>Finding a way to organise ourselves, without higher authority, to maximise the opportunities and mitigate the costs is no new challenge.</p>
<p>In fact, it’s been around for as long as man has lived in communities.</p>
<p>We don’t have to invent a theory from new, but can draw on political philosophy.
The context is new. The technology is new, the scale is new, and practicalities different. But the principles aren’t. The principles go back to Athens.</p>
<p>I think the way we address it can be summed up as follows:</p>
<p>The Internet should be free, not lawless.</p>
<p>Open not laissez-faire.</p>
<p>Liberal, not libertarian.</p>
<p>Freedom is a framework.</p>
<p>Burke said that liberty “is not solitary, unconnected, individual, selfish liberty, as if every man was to regulate the whole of his conduct by his own will”.
Instead he said liberty is “social freedom”. “Secured by the equality of restraint.” In which “no one man, and no body of men, and no number of men, can find means to trespass on the liberty of any person.”</p>
<p>Taking that fine principle and applying it to today’s problem means protecting liberty on the internet with reliable protections against theft, and harassment, and child pornography, and incitement and terrorism.</p>
<p>The Internet is a phenomenally powerful agent of commercial and social progress. That is to be applauded and cherished. But it is also a medium for fraudsters, thieves, extremists, terrorists, and those who want to hurt children.</p>
<p>That’s not new. The world – online and off – is an agent of commercial and social progress. But it is a medium for fraudsters, thieves, extremists, terrorists, and those who want to hurt children too.</p>
<p>Put it this way: we highly value freedom on the Internet. We want the Internet to be free, open and global. We reject the vision of a censored and limited Internet, controlled by national governments.</p>
<p>And we are also clear that this free, open Internet is not a licence to abuse freedom, to cause harm. In the off-line world, we have longstanding boundaries on free speech, to stop people using it to incite racial hatred or violence, for example, or libelling others without consequence.</p>
<p>I want to make an important point today about self-confidence in our values. The fact that we as a society have put these boundaries on acceptable free speech has not undermined our status or credibility as a society that values free speech. No-one can credibly say that because we stop people standing up and spreading racial hatred means that we are on the side of repressive regimes and not free speech.</p>
<p>We have been mature enough to accept this in off-line speech. As the Internet matures so we need to accept these principles online too.</p>
<p>A free and open Internet does not mean an Internet without boundaries or rules. And agreeing as society what those rules should be does not weaken our commitment to freedom.</p>
<p>As Tim Berners-Lee has argued, let us have an approach of open standards within a commonly agreed rules-based framework.</p>
<p>My vision – our high goal – is of an Internet that is a catalyst for creativity not for harm, based on these principles of a rules based framework.</p>
<p>We believe in an Internet open, trusted, and secure that serves freedom and the economic and social development freedom brings, and protects human rights of privacy, access to knowledge, and freedom of expression - open to debate and challenge, with no political ownership where the logic of an argument can be tested and found wanting.</p>
<p>We want Britain to play her part in leading that debate.</p>
<p>So how do we make that happen in practice?</p>
<p>By its nature: global and fast-moving, legislation that is national and slow-moving will never be the perfect tool for Internet governance.</p>
<p>So industry and the public have important roles.</p>
<p>Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others all have abuse-reporting services.</p>
<p>UK ISPs act on notifications of potentially illegal content – and this self-regulation is incredibly important.</p>
<p>Members of the public are now able to report online material that promotes terrorism or extremism to the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, via GOV.UK.</p>
<p>All sensible businesses take steps to protect themselves from cyber crime.</p>
<p>Our new, non-statutory National Cyber Security Centre ensures that government plays its part.</p>
<p>Search engines, platforms and ISPs play their part in removing harmful material. Later this afternoon, my colleague Joanna Shields will tell you what we are doing to promote child Internet safety at home and abroad. We are having success with partnerships in tackling some of the toughest challenges in this area.</p>
<p>It is vitally important that all those who cherish our free Internet play their part in taking responsibility to address these issues.</p>
<p>In short, we need to develop a set of norms that guide appropriate behaviour towards the Internet in free societies.</p>
<p>A wide gap has opened up between our adoption of technology and our ability to create frameworks and norms for that technology.</p>
<p>The governance of the Internet is just one area where practice has run way ahead of society’s ability to think through the consequences and set rules to ensure the impact of the technology is most positive and least harmful.</p>
<p>There are many others, from the fact that our children do most of their socialising online, to the growing realisation that the market is often a poor judge of the true value of technology, unable to capture massive externalities both positive and negative.</p>
<p>If we do not find a way to build norms for new technology, starting with retrofitting it to the technology that has already become pervasive, then the gap will continue to grow.</p>
<p>And when this gap grows, it’s harder to bring the public with us.</p>
<p>More substantively, some of the technology does actually need to be regulated - it will more beneficial and less harmful when it is operating in a thought-out framework.</p>
<p>But the speed of innovation is now much faster than the speed at which society can create norms.</p>
<p>And given the innovation is global, we cannot slow its pace and must therefore gear ourselves up to handle the pace.</p>
<p>So norms are important. But this non-statutory action alone is not enough.</p>
<p>The Internet should be characterised by freedom, not lawlessness.</p>
<p>The legislative framework matters.</p>
<p>Our starting point is that the law of the land applies equally, offline and online: what matters is the substance, not the medium.</p>
<p>So we are for example equalising our copyright laws in the UK so they are equivalent on and off line. Laws to protect intellectual property are just as important on and off line, as intellectual property is still property, no matter how it’s propagated.</p>
<p>And in other areas too, like in requiring age verification of adult materials to protect children, we are legislating.</p>
<p>But in many others, like removing terrorist or child abuse material, we operate on the basis of non-statutory co-operation.</p>
<p>And that brings me to global Internet governance.</p>
<p>No one international institutional has oversight or control of the Internet. We have instead a decentralised system, where international Internet matters are addressed by a variety of organisations, including the United Nations and its Commission on Science and Technology for development and UNESCO, and the Council of Europe, addressing the importance of freedom of expression, cybercrime, privacy, and human rights.</p>
<p>We have to ensure that governments, civil society, business, the technical community, academics, and Internet users all have a voice in these global Internet governance mechanisms. That is the only way to make them inclusive, transparent, accountable, and fit to serve the best interests of the Internet using public around the world.</p>
<p>Following ten years of dramatic Internet expansion, the UN General Assembly last December recognised the value of a multi-stakeholder model of governance.</p>
<p>The General Assembly endorsed the success of the Internet Governance Forum – the global IGF. This was important.</p>
<p>The IGF is the key meeting point of Internet standards-making bodies, and does a very good job, championing the merits of participation and reporting multi-stakeholder work directly to the UN Secretary General.</p>
<p>The fact that the UK Government – along with many others: other governments, Nominet, civil society organisations, and business – contributes financially to the IGF is a testament to the value of its work.</p>
<p>The key question is not whether there are boundaries, but how those boundaries are made. If they are made by governments unaccountable to their own people, and nationally, then the boundaries will have much less legitimacy than if they are clearly made by society thinking and acting together. And if they can be agreed internationally, then it has still more legitimacy.</p>
<p>This is the logic of the model of multi-stakeholder governance.</p>
<p>The name was clearly designed by a committee, and doesn’t make the heart sing. But the underlying concept should. Because what it says is this - we do not entrust the rules of the Internet to any one country or part of society. Rather, because we value its freedom and openness so much, we entrust it only to a parliament of society, in which we all have a voice.</p>
<p>Yet the IGF cannot stand still. It needs to move forward with a greater focus on what it can contribute to sustainable economic growth and increased social wellbeing.</p>
<p>At a national and regional level, multi-stakeholder events like this one today – and those in other countries that have replicated the UK model – are extremely useful for the sharing of best practice and ideas for technical solutions and policy responses.</p>
<p>I am especially interested in ideas for strengthening the resilience and security of local networks and in practical solutions for setting up Internet exchange points, which can have a significant impact on reducing costs and stimulating local content.</p>
<p>And on the question of IP addresses – the index of the net – now that the US government has stepped away from its sole oversight role, and the transition to a global multi-stakeholder group is now underway – the rigorous scrutiny of the system must endure.</p>
<p>The current raft of reviews into accountability, transparency, diversity, and inclusivity are absolutely necessary - because the digital economy simply cannot work without an efficient, fully functioning domain name system.</p>
<p>I know some of you here are actively involved, and I am grateful for what you are doing.</p>
<p>The global nature of the system is reflected in the 170-strong membership of the Governmental Advisory Committee. That breadth needs to be fully integrated with all levels of policy development and oversight, because that is the framework that has been proven to deliver a secure and resilient system.</p>
<p>This framework, in global governance, national rules, civil society, norms of behaviour and social responsibility, is critical to protecting the freedom of the Internet.</p>
<p>Freedom is not automatic, but fragile, and not just wished for but supported.</p>
<p>So let us pledge anew to the task of ensuring that this great innovator, this bringer of change, this invention that is changing the world and all of us in it, let us pledge again to work to ensure its freedom, that we may build on the opportunities it presents, for all mankind.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3441782016-11-16T10:00:00+00:002016-11-16T10:00:00+00:00News story: Export bar to save satirical Hogarth paintingCulture Minister steps in to prevent 18th century painting from export<div class="govspeak"><p>Culture Minister Matt Hancock has placed a temporary export bar on a satirical painting by William Hogarth to provide an opportunity to keep it in the country.</p>
<p>The Christening by William Hogarth is at risk of being exported from the UK unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of £1,223,100.</p>
<p>William Hogarth is considered to be one of the most important figures in eighteenth-century British art and culture. He was known for his satirical artwork, and The Christening was his first painted comical scene. It shows a christening taking place in a wealthy but disorderly home. From the little girl about to knock over the christening bowl, to the dog about to rip apart the hat on the ground, the painting is a satirical scene of contemporary life in the eighteenth century.</p>
<p>The painting marks Hogarth’s beginning as a satirical artist and demonstrates his development into comical artwork.</p>
<p>Culture Minister Matt Hancock said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">Hogarth is known as one of our greatest ever satirists and this is a significant early example of his work.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">The painting provides a valuable insight into eighteenth century life. Satire is an important part of our cultural heritage and as a fan of Hogarth’s work I hope it can remain in the UK for the public to enjoy.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by The Arts Council.</p>
<p>The RCEWA made its recommendation on the grounds of its outstanding significance for the study of William Hogarth, as well as for the study of the cultural, literary and historical life of the eighteenth century.</p>
<p>RCEWA member Lowell Libson said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">Hogarth’s importance in imbuing art and artists with a sense of a national character at a time when England was consolidating its international position as the dominant economic and political power cannot be underestimated. This important painting demonstrates Hogarth’s concern with the effects that this new affluence had on all sectors of society. Hogarth himself noted that ‘my picture was my stage’ and The Christening, a small, beautifully executed painting is a deceptively charming and significant early precursor of the great cycles of modern moral paintings and their related engravings. Its retention in this country would considerably add to the story we can tell of a painter who helped define our national identity.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The decision on the export licence application for the painting will be deferred until February 15, 2017. This may be extended until May 15, 2017, if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase it is made at the recommended price of £1,223,100.</p>
<p>Offers from public bodies for less than the recommended price through the private treaty sale arrangements, where appropriate, may also be considered by Matt Hancock. Such purchases frequently offer substantial financial benefit to a public institution wishing to acquire the item.</p>
<p>Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the painting should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.</p>
<p>Images of the painting can be downloaded <a rel="external" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thedcms/30986839936/in/dateposted/">here</a>.</p>
<h3 id="ends">ENDS</h3>
<p>For media information contact:</p>
<div class="address"><div class="adr org fn"><p>
Rebecca Evans
<br>Senior Communications Officer
<br>Department for Culture Media and Sport
<br>Tel: 0207 211 6513
<br>Email: rebecca.evans@culture.gov.uk
<br>
</p></div></div>
<h3 id="notes-to-editors">Notes to editors</h3>
<p>Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the painting should contact the <a rel="external" href="http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/export-controls/reviewing-committee">RCEWA</a> on 0845 300 6200.</p>
<div class="address"><div class="adr org fn"><p>
Details of the painting are as follows:
<br>William Hogarth (1697-1764)
<br>The Christening
<br>Oil on canvas, 49.5 x 62.8cm
<br>
</p></div></div>
<p>The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by The Arts Council, advises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.</p>
<p>The Arts Council champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. It supports a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. <a rel="external" href="http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/">www.artscouncil.org.uk</a></p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3440372016-11-14T13:32:00+00:002016-11-14T13:32:00+00:00News story: Fundraising training opens for small local charitiesSmall, local charities can sign up for training in December 2016 as part of Government’s support for Local Charities Day<div class="govspeak"><p>The training programme, recently announced by the Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson will help small, local charities to develop their skills and generate more funds to support their vital work.</p>
<p>Courses range from face-to-face workshops to online learning, support from skilled volunteers and a Twitter Q&amp;A. It will cover a range of topics including fundraising from Trusts and Foundations, how to design a fundraising strategy and how to run a successful crowdfunding campaign.</p>
<p>The training is part of Government’s support for <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/local-charities-day-16th-december">Local Charities Day</a>, which takes place on 16 December. The day will put small, local charities and community groups into the spotlight, helping them thrive and demonstrate the great work they do in their areas.</p>
<p>Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson, said:</p>
<p>“Local Charities Day on December 16 will give us all a chance to celebrate the fantastic work being done by small, local charities across the whole country. Their dedication and hard work deserves to be recognised and I hope people everywhere show their support both in the lead up and on the day.</p>
<p>“But more than recognition, by investing in a further small charities training package, introducing a Bill to simplify the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/claim-gift-aid/small-donations-scheme">Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme</a> and backing fundraising campaigns like <a rel="external" href="https://localgiving.org/what-we-do/campaigns/grow-your-tenner/?gclid=COLewZmR5M8CFWsW0wodNvcEEw">‘Grow Your Tenner’</a>, we are creating a sustainable environment in which smaller charities can develop valuable skills and raise more money for such worthy causes.”</p>
<h3 id="sign-up-now">Sign up now</h3>
<p>The programme is targeted at charities and community groups with an annual income of up to £1 million and have a local focus.</p>
<p>The Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI) and GlobalGiving UK will deliver the training, which follows on from the Small Charities Fundraising Training Programme.</p>
<p>Charities and community groups can sign-up for training opportunities at:</p>
<p><a rel="external" href="http://www.thefsi.org/services/training/local-charities-day-2/">Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI) courses</a></p>
<p><a rel="external" href="http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/local-charity-day/">GlobalGiving UK courses</a></p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3439922016-11-14T09:42:18+00:002016-11-14T09:42:18+00:00News story: Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Appoints Ofcom Board MemberNick Pollard has been appointed by the Secretary of State as a Member of the Ofcom Board, for six months from 14 November 2016. <div class="govspeak"><p>Nick Pollard has had a distinguished career in British journalism and broadcasting spanning more than forty five years.</p>
<p>For ten years, as Head of Sky News, Nick furthered its reputation for unrivalled coverage of breaking news and major events around the world. During that time the channel won numerous awards for its reporting of events such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Kosovo conflict, the Omagh bombing, the death of Princess Diana, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Asian tsunami disaster and the 2005 London bombings.</p>
<p>Nick began his career as a local newspaper journalist on Merseyside in 1968 and worked for BBC Radio and TV News during the 1970s. He joined ITN in 1980 and became Executive Producer of News at Ten and responsible for major story coverage in the UK and around the world. From 2009 to 2015 Nick was Chief Executive of Services Sound and Vision Corporation, the charity that runs British Forces Broadcasting and other services for the UK’s armed forces. He became a member of the Content Board of Ofcom, the UK’s broadcasting and telecommunications industry regulator, in 2016. Nick is a Fellow of the Royal Television Society and in 2007 was awarded the RTS’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Television Journalism. He was Chairman of the Society’s annual Journalism Awards from 2008-2011. In 2012 he carried out the independent inquiry into the BBC’s handling of the Jimmy Savile affair, producing ‘The Pollard Report’ on the matter in December 2012.</p>
<p>The Board of Ofcom is appointed by the Secretary of State. Board Members are paid £42,519 per annum.</p>
<p>In accordance with OCPA’s Code of Practise, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Nick has declared no such political activity.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3439762016-11-13T11:29:47+00:002016-11-13T11:29:47+00:00News story: Armed Forces join The Queen as she leads the UK in RemembranceThe nation falls silent as Her Majesty leads the traditional service at the Cenotaph in London<div class="govspeak"><p>Members of the Armed Forces have joined the national Service of Remembrance in Whitehall today. The Queen led the nation in a nationally observed two-minute silence, and then was the first to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph to commemorate those Servicemen and women killed in all conflicts since the First World War.</p>
<p>The Prime Minister also attended the service along with Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, and other members of the Cabinet, former Prime Ministers, The Chiefs of Staff and over 700 regular and reserve personnel.</p>
<p>Accompanying the Queen were members of the Royal Family including The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge, Prince Henry of Wales, The Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, The Princess Royal and The Duke of Kent.</p>
<p>Soldiers from the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired a round from nearby Horse Guards Parade which echoed around Whitehall to signal the start and the end of the two minutes’ silence.</p>
<p>As the artillery noise faded, buglers of the Royal Marines sounded the poignant Last Post, which traditionally signalled the end of a soldier’s day.</p>
<p>Following the ceremony thousands of veterans from the Second World War and more recent conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan, marched past the Cenotaph.</p>
<p>Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>As the clock strikes 11 today, it’s as important as ever to reflect on the sacrifices of those who gave their lives, and those who continue to defend us today.</p>
<p>This year we have commemorated the 100th anniversary of Battle of Jutland as well as the vast sacrifice on the fields of the Somme – where more than 57,000 British soldiers lost their lives on the first day of fighting alone.</p>
<p>We must also remember our heroes from more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.</p>
<p>Tomorrow, we should reflect on the unparalleled contribution made by the men and women of our armed forces.</p>
<p class="last-child">Thousands of them deployed now, on 28 operations in more than 25 countries. Their support continues to make us safer and more secure at home.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Armed Forces also marked Remembrance Sunday wherever they were in the world, from the Mediterranean where the Navy is assisting in migrant rescue operations to Afghanistan, where the UK is helping to support Afghanistan’s future by helping to train Afghan soldiers.</p>
<p>This year has been particularly poignant for Remembrance with large numbers of Service personnel taking part in major commemorations, such as the centenaries of the Battle of Jutland and the Battle of the Somme.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3439412016-11-11T14:20:08+00:002016-11-11T14:20:08+00:00News story: Minute’s silence to mark Paris Attacks one year agoA minute’s silence will be held on Monday 14 November 2016 at 11am, in remembrance of those who lost their lives and all others that were affected by the Paris Attacks, one year ago. <div class="govspeak"><p>The silence will be marked at all government buildings and other organisations may follow suit.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3438972016-11-11T10:38:00+00:002016-11-11T10:38:00+00:00News story: The Prime Minister Reappoints Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC to the Board of the Imperial War MuseumTheresa May has reappointed Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC to the Board of the Imperial War Museum for a term of four years, ending on 4 November 2020<div class="govspeak"><p>An international businessman, author and philanthropist, Lord Ashcroft has many, varied business interests in the United Kingdom, United States and the Caribbean. He supports a wide range of charities, notably crime prevention and education. He is the Founder and Chairman of Crimestoppers, Chairman of Trustees of the Ashcroft Technology Academy in south London and an ambassador of the educational charity SkillForce. In May 2011, he was appointed as lead advisor on a government review of military bases on Cyprus and in September 2012 was made the Government’s Special Representative for Veterans’ Transition, working on support for military personnel making the transition to civilian life. Lord Ashcroft’s collection of Victoria Cross medals – the largest in the world – has been on display in The Lord Ashcroft Gallery: Extraordinary Heroes at IWM London since November 2010.</p>
<p>He is a Trustee and President of the West India Committee, a Trustee of Imperial War Museums, Vice-Patron of the Intelligence Corps Museum in Bedfordshire and Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University. He is also a Trustee of the Cleveland Clinic in the US.</p>
<p>Imperial War Museum Trustees are not remunerated. This reappointment has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Lord Ashcroft declared he did, until 2015, sit on the conservative benches of the House of Lords.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3436122016-11-08T13:57:00+00:002016-11-08T13:57:00+00:00News story: Digital Economy Bill: Codes of PracticeCodes of Practice to accompany data access measures in the Digital Economy Bill.<div class="govspeak"><p>Changing technology provides the opportunity to deliver better public services. That is why through the Digital Economy Bill, government is improving services to benefit citizens, reduce fraud and debt, and deliver world class research and statistics.</p>
<p>The Digital Economy Bill contains a host of measures that will support the digital transformation of government, ensuring the delivery of better public services through world leading research and statistics. For example, it will allow the Government to identify those in fuel poverty and provide financial support to those most in need. It will also clamp down hard on benefit fraud.</p>
<p>To ensure that departments, local authorities and the wider public sector understand what safeguards are in place and need to be followed, the Government has published four codes of practice to give clarity and transparency over how the powers in the Bill will operate. They cover:</p>
<ul>
<li>A code of practice on Public Service Delivery, Fraud and Debt;</li>
<li>A code of practice for civil registration officials;</li>
<li>A code of practice and accreditation criteria for access to data for research purposes; and</li>
<li>A statement of principles and procedures and code of practice for changes to data systems.</li>
</ul>
<p>The proposals in the Bill have been widely consulted on for over two years, working with a range of civil society and public sector representatives.</p>
<p>Chris Skidmore MP, Minister for the Constitution, said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>New and emerging technology provides us with a great opportunity to provide public services more effectively and efficiently. The measures in the Digital Economy Bill will support people to access services they need, transforming the relationship between people and the government.</p>
<p>The measures are a highly positive step towards helping the most vulnerable in society on a range of measures, including the warm home discount and helping with managing debts.</p>
<p class="last-child">These codes of practice will ensure departments, local authorities and the wider public sector understand their obligations to use the powers responsibly.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Notes:</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digital-economy-bill-codes-of-practice">codes of practice</a> are drawn from, and should be read in accordance with, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) code of practice on data sharing, which provides the framework for how the Data Protection Act applies.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3435832016-11-08T13:34:58+00:002016-11-08T13:34:58+00:00Speech: A Positive Agenda for Young PeopleRob Wilson's keynote speech at the Ambition National Conference<div class="govspeak"><p>I’m delighted to be here today, and to see so many familiar faces in the room. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a good number of you before, and to see for myself how your work supports and inspires young people to make the most of opportunities and go as far as their talents can take them.</p>
<p>The best thing about my job in government is the chance it gives me to meet young people and witness first hand their talent and creativity. It also allows me to see the fantastic work many of you do with those young people.</p>
<p>This government is committed to creating a Britain that works for everyone and that, most of all for me, means young people. I want all young people, regardless of their background or circumstances, to lead independent, fulfilling lives and to reach their true potential.</p>
<p>We all know how a lack of confidence, of not feeling good enough, of just not getting a chance, can hold people back and stop them reaching their true potential.</p>
<p>I don’t want that to happen to young people today and neither do you. Together we can make sure young people have their say on matters that concern them, act on their interest or passion and develop the skills they need to succeed.</p>
<p>All of us in this room share a huge responsibility. Everyone here is tasked with making a positive difference to the lives of our young people. To equip them for challenges, some of which may be familiar to us and others much more novel. A world so connected provides young people with huge opportunity but also many challenges and some danger.</p>
<p>I want us to build a society where young people feel appreciated and want to give back to their communities, because they understand just how much their communities value them. Where they have high aspirations for their own life and feel their views and opinions matter.</p>
<p>We know that’s not true for everyone and I’m passionately committed to changing that.</p>
<p>It’s why I’ve recently announced £80million of new investment in youth projects. This joint funding between Government and the Big Lottery Fund will drive our twin ambitions for young people going forward.</p>
<p>First to support young people, especially those in the most challenging circumstances to grow in confidence and ambition.</p>
<p>Secondly, to encourage all young people to find ways of contributing to society and make their views heard in their communities as well as across Government.</p>
<p>So let me talk first about how government and civil society can support those young people who need our help the most and the ones we need to reach out to first.</p>
<p>The Youth Investment Fund targets disadvantaged communities and will support place based youth activity in local areas. Funding is available up to 2020 to deliver open access services and help organisations invest and plan for the future. We have had to make choices about where to prioritise this initial investment but I believe we’ve made the right ones.</p>
<p>I hope and intend this to be only the first wave of the fund, and it will attract even more investment from local organisations, businesses and philanthropists.</p>
<p>A further £40million will go towards the second part of our vision, to support young people’s personal growth through positive engagement in our communities. The #iwill Fund, which is part of our on-going support of Step Up To Serve’s ‘#iwill’ campaign, will encourage volunteering in young people and instil it as a habit for life.</p>
<p>By helping others, by tackling other people’s problems, our young people feel empowered to take charge of their own lives and can see that their actions have an impact.</p>
<p>In giving, they receive so much back.</p>
<p>The Uniformed Youth Social Action Fund is a good recent example. With a little help from government investment, Youth United have successfully created over 27,000 new uniformed places, including in the Fire Cadets and St John Ambulance.</p>
<p>90% of the units created two years ago are still running, with no additional grant funding required. They are also engaging more people from diverse backgrounds, including those with disabilities, young offenders and those who have English as their second language.</p>
<p>Let me say again, it’s the people who need our help the most that we must reach out to first. And we should provide the opportunity for all young people to give back and speak out.</p>
<p>But there is one programme we want to be a single, unifying rite of passage for young people across the whole country - because it so embodies what we’ve set out to do - and that is National Citizen Service.</p>
<p>Over 275,000 young people have taken part since the NCS programme began, and independent evaluation shows that it has given them a great head start in life. It teaches them resilience and leadership skills and better prepares them for the future.</p>
<p>In my view, the best thing about NCS is that it draws in young people from every background and brings them together, to live and work as a united team. It’s what government wants for this country - social cohesion, social mobility and social engagement.</p>
<p>Let me tell you about Carlton Bolling School in Bradford. A school that has over half the pupils eligible for free school meals. A school where the majority of the pupil’s parents don’t speak English at home.</p>
<p>This summer, 85 Year 11 &amp; 12 students enrolled onto NCS; the highest figure in Yorkshire and one of the highest in the country. In the words of the Head Teacher Adrian Kneeshaw, not only do our children return more confident, resilient and eager to learn but they are often much more eager to volunteer and help out in their local community.”</p>
<p>Evidence like this that motivates me every day and it’s why I am so pleased to have recently introduced the NCS Bill to Parliament. It should bring NCS to the notice of even more young people and encourage them to get involved. It will also ensure the NCS Trust works efficiently, effectively and transparently.</p>
<p>What has really struck me through the course of this bill is the support NCS commands across all political parties and interests. We have to spread the news of NCS to all those disadvantaged young people who would stand to gain from it the most.</p>
<p>I am delighted that Ambition and others here today have signed up to the NCS Trust’s Pathfinders programme. This means we can draw on your experience, reach, creativity and commitment to test innovative and more flexible ways of getting the best from NCS. It is a much-needed step forward and I thank you for your support.</p>
<p>But our eagerness to work hand in hand with the youth sector doesn’t extend only to NCS. Everything we want to do we can do much more effectively with your help and support. Your knowledge, your expertise can help make so much difference.</p>
<p>One of the highlights of my year is taking part in the UK Youth Parliament, when young people debate issues they care about and tell me all the things I’m doing wrong.</p>
<p>It is inspiring to see the energy, enthusiasm and intelligence of the speakers. Reassuring too - not only that our future is in such good hands, but that our policy of supporting and encouraging young people to be the best they can be really works. Give them the opportunity and young people shine.</p>
<p>This year they are set to debate; education reform, racial and religious discrimination, public transport, votes at 16 and the future of the health service. Now whatever your politics you can’t help but be impressed by that agenda.</p>
<p>The future we build today is theirs to inherit tomorrow therefore it is right that they should have a say on how it is shaped. That’s why I’m pleased we are talking regularly to the Department for Exiting the European Union to make sure young people do not go unheard.</p>
<p>It’s also why we’re arranging a Ministerial roundtable with organisations working in youth voice. This will help us to plan a process through which young people’s views are represented and they can tell DExEU what their priorities are.</p>
<p>Of course this time of change isn’t only unnerving for the young, I know many of you in the youth sector will be feeling a little unsettled. But it is in times of change that we get to show our real strengths - in how we adapt and embrace opportunity.</p>
<p>If we work together, if we are innovative, if we keep a relentless focus on the needs of young people we will be successful and make good progress.</p>
<p>I was pleased to see Ambition promote this forward-thinking in its recent ‘Count Me In’ paper, recognising that effective and collaborative services can really make a difference to young people, even in challenging times.</p>
<p>I’m thinking, for example, of the Wayz Youth Club in Bracknell. When their funding came under threat they formed cross-sector partnerships with housing associations, corporates and others to support a long-term strategy for young people in the local area. It is exactly this sort of innovative leadership and readiness to adapt and change that we all could learn from.</p>
<p>We all know there is less public money to go around, and what we have needs to be spent in a way we know makes the most difference.</p>
<p>That means a focus on reaching those who need it most and, crucially, helping the organisations you represent to broaden and diversify funding.</p>
<p>This means looking at a wider range of options for funding. For example, using philanthropy, trusts and charitable funds, social investment, direct fundraising and private sector support to build a more sustainable funding environment.</p>
<p>We know plenty of private organisations out there share your belief in the potential of young people. By demonstrating your capability, by showing them the real impact your work has, you can tap into this vital funding and transform even more young lives.</p>
<p>Of course we in Government will support you. I hope everyone here has benefited from the work of the Centre for Youth Impact. If not, get in touch. By understanding the impact of your services we can continually improve their performance.</p>
<p>There is so much to look forward to in this sector. Indeed, I’m delighted to announce that over the coming months we’ll be developing a new youth policy statement. This statement will bring together a clear narrative and vision for how we best help our young people.</p>
<p>It will highlight the opportunities that come with our move to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport - how we can use our new position to give young people a greater engagement with our sporting and cultural heritage.</p>
<p>We want to benefit from your insights and wisdom. This new statement should draw on your experiences and celebrate the innovative work that is already happening.</p>
<p>I’m keen for it to act as a road map until at least 2020 and to show where this Government is heading with youth policy, so you can see where to work with us along the way.</p>
<p>More than anything I want the statement to be a commitment to every young person. That we will help them pursue their passions, lead happy, independent lives and feel an active, engaged and valued part of their communities.</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3435452016-11-08T09:01:00+00:002016-11-08T09:01:00+00:00Press release: Prime Minister welcomes Science Museum celebration of Indian innovationPrime Minister Theresa May has welcomed plans for the Science Museum to host 2 exhibitions on the culture and history of Indian innovation.<div class="govspeak"><p>The Prime Minister has welcomed plans for the Science Museum in London to host a season of exhibitions and events next year dedicated to the people, culture and skills of India.</p>
<p>As part of the UK-India Year of Culture 2017 to 18, which will celebrate the vibrant cultural history of the 2 countries, the Science Museum plans 2 exhibitions, in autumn 2017, centred on the rich culture and history of innovation in India.</p>
<p>One exhibition is an ambitious and unprecedented survey of photography in India from the emergence of the medium in the nineteenth century to the present day.</p>
<p>The other will highlight the long tradition of scientific thought in India from the ancient past to the present day. It will look at the country’s expertise in observation, calculation and innovation, emphasising the importance of science in India as a way of understanding the world and creating a better society.</p>
<p>Speaking during her 2-day visit to India, the Prime Minister said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="last-child">This celebration of India’s rich culture and history of innovation is another clear demonstration of the close ties between our 2 countries. I welcome the Science Museum’s aim to use its series of exhibitions during the UK-India Year of Culture to strengthen the relationship between British and Indian scholars and cultural institutions.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Science Museum is the most visited museum in the UK by school groups.</p>
<div class="call-to-action">
<p>Find out the latest updates on the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-and-india-prime-ministers-trade-mission-and-bilateral-visit">Prime Minister’s India visit</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3431952016-11-03T14:50:23+00:002016-11-03T14:50:23+00:00Speech: Rob Wilson's speech at the Annual Charity ConferenceMinister for Civil Society Rob Wilson's speech to the Annual Charity Conference, Paris Smith.<div class="govspeak"><p>Thank you Nick for your introduction and thanks to Paris Smith for inviting me.</p>
<p>It’s always a pleasure to come to Southampton. It is particularly good to see that there are also so many of you here from arts, sports and heritage groups from the City and further afield.</p>
<p>As Minister for Civil Society I see significant positives in our move to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. It means we have the opportunity to expand our horizons and look at opportunities to increase our impact on the ground.</p>
<p>In the Office for Civil Society we believe that the country will be stronger if we as citizens have more of a role and responsibility to improve our own lives, the communities we share and the public services we use.</p>
<p>We know that charities and community groups are founded out of a passion and a belief in helping others and to do good. Sometimes that passion is borne out of tragedy.</p>
<p>I know you have heard from Sarah and James earlier this morning and about their inspiration to honour their daughter’s memory and to help others.</p>
<p>We want to encourage more people to get involved and work together to improve our communities whether that is giving of time or giving of money.</p>
<p>The opportunity to influence the world around you, to feel connected and to be able to make a contribution run through the idea of building a bigger and stronger society.</p>
<p>A large amount of inspiring work is already done by charities, communities and social enterprises. However levels of charitable giving and volunteering have remained only stable over the last year.</p>
<p>The voluntary sector must retain the trust of the public and effectively self-regulate to continue to maintain and grow levels of giving. It must be ready to reform and adapt to the changing giving environment and the expectations of donors.</p>
<p>As Minister for Civil Society I am eager to provide the right framework for this to happen.</p>
<p>The last eighteen months or so have seen some really poor fundraising practices exposed in the media, and a decline in public trust.</p>
<p>It is deeply unfortunate that the actions of a few large fundraising charities have tarnished a sector which generally consists of dedicated, and well-run organisations. Now is the time to put it right.</p>
<p>I want the sector to take collective responsibility for safeguarding your reputation and long-term sustainability.</p>
<p>That includes support for the new Fundraising Regulator. I know you have had the opportunity to hear from Stephen Dunmore earlier this morning.</p>
<p>The Fundraising Regulator now has responsibility for investigating and adjudicating complaints as well as maintaining and updating the Fundraising Code of Practice.</p>
<p>The Regulator will be the complaints body that the public can turn to. It won’t be alone though, everyone will be working together. The Charity Commission, Information Commissioner and the sector itself will be getting behind the regulator and supporting it through levy and through respecting the forthcoming Fundraising Preference Service.</p>
<p>I am pleased to see that the Fundraising Regulator has already signed Memorandums of Understanding with its statutory partners. It has consulted the sector on the practical details of the Fundraising Preference Service.</p>
<p>These are important steps in upholding public trust and I look forward to reviewing progress early next year.</p>
<p>Last year this Conference heard from the Charity Commission Chairman, William Shawcross. The Charities Act 2016 gives the Charity Commission the powers it needs to do its job properly. This followed recommendations from the National Audit Office.</p>
<p>Strengthening the Commission’s ability to tackle abuse and mismanagement was supported by 83 per cent of the public and 92 per cent of charities.</p>
<p>The powers are necessary to deal with the tiny minority bent on abusing charity status.</p>
<p>But I don’t see my role as just making sure the regulatory framework is robust and fit for the sector in the 21st Century.</p>
<p>I also want to ensure the sustainability of the sector and to help small, local organisations that have a vital role in helping other people, to become more resilient.</p>
<p>Whilst small organisations make up 97 per cent of all registered charities in the UK, much media coverage seems to be about the big guys. It ignores what the vast majority are doing, day in, day out, to serve their communities.</p>
<p>And it ignores the energy, the commitment, and the expertise that small and local charities bring.</p>
<p>That’s why I want to get the message out today about our plans for a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/local-charities-day-16th-december">Local Charities Day on 16th of December</a>.</p>
<p>This will be a real celebration of local charities and community groups. Raising their profile to help them get the recognition they deserve.</p>
<p>As part of plans leading up to the day we provided funding to boost Localgiving’s ‘Grow Your Tenner’ to match donations from the public. We want to encourage more giving because we want to help charities improve the lives of more people.</p>
<p>So we’ll be providing match funding for a bespoke fundraising campaign by Localgiving on Local Charities Day too. I’d encourage as many people as possible to get involved - donating and raising vital funds.</p>
<p>I have seen first hand the tenacity, inventiveness and the ability to adapt to change of civil society organisations. I also know that there is more to do to help improve skills for raising the funds they need.</p>
<p>So we are helping small charities to get the training they need to fundraise more effectively. Our Small Charities Fundraising Training Programme earlier this year provided more than a thousand training places.</p>
<p>Today I’m pleased to announce that we’re investing in a further package of fundraising training. It will provide a series of expert-led workshops across the country in the weeks running up to Local Charities Day as well as a whole range of learning sessions on Local Charities Day itself.</p>
<p>We hope this training will help charities to raise more funds for the vital work they do, and I encourage small, local charities and community organisations to sign up to get involved.</p>
<p>I have a clear goal. I want to support the important work that you do and the people you help. I want to do this by seeing a more independent, self-regulating, and sustainable charity and social enterprise sector.</p>
<p>A sector that can access grants, loans, philanthropy, and earned income without being entirely dependent on the state. A sector that has the public’s confidence and that knows its worth.</p>
<p>Thank you</p>
</div>tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/3429212016-11-01T13:40:00+00:002016-11-01T13:40:00+00:00Statement to Parliament: Culture Secretary statement to Parliament on press regulation issuesCulture Secretary Karen Bradley gave an oral statement to Parliament on a consultation seeking views on two issues relating to the Leveson Inquiry.<div class="govspeak"><p>Mr Speaker,</p>
<p>With your permission, I wish to make a statement on matters relating to the Leveson Inquiry.</p>
<p>A free press is an essential component of a fully functioning democracy, which is why it was a manifesto commitment of this government to defend a free press.</p>
<p>The press should tell the truth without fear or favour and hold the powerful to account. However, that freedom has in the past – we now know – been abused.</p>
<p>Mr Speaker, we know that some parts of the press have ignored their own Code of Practice and the law. I have met victims of illegal and improper press intrusion, some of whom have suffered immense distress.</p>
<p>In July 2011, the Coalition Government announced an inquiry into the role of the press and the police in phone hacking and other illegal practices in the British press. Lord Justice Leveson was appointed Chair of the Inquiry.</p>
<p>Part 1 of the Inquiry examined the culture, practices, and ethics of the press. It considered such matters as whether the press needed a different form of regulation and how the press interacted with the public, the police, and politicians.</p>
<p>Sir Brian Leveson heard evidence from more than 300 people, including some of those who had been affected by the most egregious press behaviour.</p>
<p>On 29 November 2012, the Leveson Inquiry published its report on Part 1. It contained 92 recommendations, the majority of which have been acted upon and are being delivered.</p>
<p>Part 2 of the Inquiry – which has not yet begun - would further examine wrongdoing in the press and the police.</p>
<p>Mr Speaker, following a cross-party agreement a Royal Charter established the Press Recognition Panel, which began operating in November 2014. As stated on its website, the Panel’s purpose is to ensure that any press self-regulator is “independent, properly funded and able to protect the public, while recognising the important role carried out by the press”.</p>
<p>Since September 2015, the Panel has been taking applications from regulators who are seeking recognition.</p>
<p>Alongside the Royal Charter, section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013 was designed to incentivise newspapers to join a recognised self-regulator. Section 40 has passed into law but remains uncommenced. This is one of two incentives. The other, relating to exemplary damages, came into effect on 3 November 2015.</p>
<p>A self-regulator applying for recognition must meet the specific criteria set out in the Royal Charter, including providing a system of low-cost arbitration that replaces the need for court action.</p>
<p>Section 40 contains two presumptions:</p>
<p>that if a publisher who is a member of a recognised self-regulator loses a relevant media case in court, they do not have to pay the winning side’s costs; and</p>
<p>that if a publisher who is not a member of a recognised self-regulator wins such a case in court, they would have to pay the losing side’s costs as well as their own.</p>
<p>Each element was intended to encourage the press to join a recognised self-regulator, through a legitimate rebalancing of the normal rules on costs.</p>
<p>Mr Speaker, it has hitherto been the view of government that as we wait for a number of elements of the new self-regulatory regime to settle in - such as the exemplary damages provisions of the Crime and Courts Act, the press developing an effective form of voluntary self-regulation, and self-regulators applying for recognition - the time has not yet been right to commence section 40.</p>
<p>However, the Panel has recently recognised its first self-regulator, The Independent Monitor for the Press - known as IMPRESS - which currently has around 50 members. Meanwhile, the Independent Press Standards Organisation - known as IPSO - regulates more than 2,500 publications, but has been clear that it will not seek recognition from the Panel.</p>
<p>We think the time is right to consider section 40 further.</p>
<p>It has also become apparent that the final criminal case relating to the Leveson Inquiry is entering its final stages. We therefore think this is also an appropriate time to start to consider next steps on Part 2 of the Inquiry.</p>
<p>Many of the issues that Part 2 would have covered have been addressed in the last five years.</p>
<p>Three police investigations - Operations Elveden, Tuleta, and Weeting - have investigated a wide range of offences.</p>
<p>A clear message has been sent to all police officers and public officials that receiving payments for confidential information will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly.</p>
<p>The Metropolitan Police Service has introduced new policies on whistleblowing, gifts and hospitality, and media relations.</p>
<p>Mr Speaker, there was also a degree of subject matter overlap between Part 1 and Part 2 of the Leveson Inquiry.</p>
<p>For example, the Inquiry reviewed the Met Police’s initial investigation into phone hacking and the role of politicians and public servants regarding any failure to investigate wrongdoing in News International.</p>
<p>Part 1 made numerous recommendations, all of which are being addressed by the police, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, and the College of Policing where they relate to them.</p>
<p>Given the extent of these criminal investigations, the implementation of the recommendations from Part 1 of the Leveson Inquiry, and the cost to the taxpayer of the investigations and Part 1 - £43.7 million and £5.4 million respectively, the Government is considering whether undertaking Part 2 is still in the public interest.</p>
<p>We are keen to take stock and seek the views of the public and interested parties - not least those who have been the victims of press abuse.</p>
<p>We will also formally consult Sir Brian on the question of Part 2 at the appropriate time, in his role as Inquiry Chair.</p>
<p>I can announce, Mr Speaker, that today we are launching a public consultation, inviting comments on both section 40 and Part 2 of the Leveson Inquiry, from organisations that are affected by it and from the public.</p>
<p>It will run for 10 weeks from today, 1 November, until 10 January 2017.</p>
<p>This is laid out in a consultation document entitled Consultation on the Leveson Inquiry and its Implementation, published on gov.uk/dcms. I am also depositing it in the Libraries of both Houses.</p>
<p>Mr Speaker, I have met with Sir Brian Leveson and spoke to him again this morning. I will write to him formally as well. I am extremely grateful for all the work that he and his team have done to get us this far.</p>
<p>The Government is determined that a balance is struck between press freedom and the freedom of the individual. Those who are treated improperly must have redress. Likewise politicians must not seek to muffle the press or prevent it doing legitimate work, such as holding us to account. And the police must take seriously its role in protecting not only its own reputation, but also those people it is meant to serve.</p>
<p>This is the balance that we wish to strike, and this consultation is the most appropriate and fairest way of doing so.</p>
<p>I commend this statement to the House.</p>
<h3 id="ends">ENDS</h3>
</div>